Fairy tail: Starcraft Arc'
by 6-4 pilot
Summary: When a Xel'naga artifact leaves a Daelaam fleet and a Tal'darim fleet stuck in Earthland, what will become of Earthland and of it's inhabitants? Rated T, for now.
1. Chapter 1

***Gasp* What is this. Is 6-4 pilot finally making a story with Starcraft. Yes he is. And it's with his favorite (At the moment) anime, Fairy Tail. Now I want some ground rules. First, the Protoss will be the main good Starcraft faction here. The other factions will show up as antagonists along with Protoss forces but the ones allied with the Daelaam may show up. I haven't made my decision yet and even then they will appear much later. Second, the protoss will be not joining a guild. They will be their own independent faction. Third, the semi-cannon pairing are going in here (Natsu and Lucy, Gray and Juvia, Erza and Jellal, etc.) or the popular fictional pairings within Fairy Tail (Mirajane and Laxus, Bickslow and Lissana, etc.). Don't like that? Then either not read, or make your own story. Fourth, this will happen around or before the Grand magic games arc. Fifth, this will happen some decades after the events of Starcraft two, so expect some advancements in Protoss technology, forces, ships, etc. Now let's get the first Starcraft and Fairy Tail crossover begin! (Or the newest because there may have been one before but got deleted.)**

 **AN: (5/23/17) Some changes to author notes and story.**

* * *

At a distance world in the Koprulu sector, a battle was raging in the world's surface. On one side were Terran soldiers clad in CMC-400 Powered combat suits were fighting against Daelaam and Tal'darim forces. The Terran forces here were some of the last remnant of Amon's followers and were sent here to this world for the Xel'naga artifacts here. The Daelaam, having heard about this, sent a fleet to attack the Terrans in hopes of preventing them from acquiring the Xel'naga artifacts in this world. The problem was that the world was in Tal'darim territory. So, Artanis asked Alarak to allow the Daelaam passage in Tal'darim territory. Alarak agreed on the condition that both Artanis and the Spear of Adun were sent as well. With reluctance, Artanis agreed and the Spear of Adun was sent with the attack fleet. Artanis couldn't fathom why Alarak would want the Spear of Adun and himself in this assault but quickly figured out why as a portion of the Tal'darim death fleet arrived with a ship that was of similar size and shape as the Spear of Adun. It was when he saw it that Artanis figured out the reason why. Alarak wanted to show Artanis his new warship as a means to intimidate him and to show him just how deadly the Tal'darim have become over the decades. It was made clear when the ship destroyed the Terran fleet with no effort. After the enemy fleet was destroyed, the Protoss forces joined together to defeat the Terran forces as they were spread out in several locations. Artanis was monitoring the battle from the Spear of Adun. He was in thought. Why was the enemies weaker than what he was informed of? The report was that the forces here were much larger than what his and Alarak's forces have fought. It also said that there were Protoss that allied with Amon were here as well. So where were they? He was pondering on it when a Zealot informed him that Alarak was contacting him from the battlefield.

"Put him through." Said Artanis. The Zealot complied and the face of Alarak came into view on the monitor in front of Artanis. "What is it, Alarak?" Asked Artanis.

"Oh. Is that any way to say hello?" Asked Alarak, mockingly. "I come to inform you that another Terran base has, once again by my own hands, been destroyed while you cower in the safety of your ship."

"Is that all?" Asked Artanis, already wanting this conversation with the high lord to end. "Or are you just hear to mock me?"

"Oh. There is some fight in you after all these years after all. I thought that all that time of peace soften you, Artanis." Said Alarak. "But no, while this base was the last to fall, there is still a Terran presence holding on near the proximity of a Xel'naga artifact. The artifact is protecting them from orbital bombardment with a shield of some kind. Our weapons have no effect on it. I recommend you see it for yourself."

"Very well. I will be there." Said Artanis, before ending the transmission and wrapping to the Xel'naga artifact. It was there that he saw the artifact first hand. It was a large tower that had a dagger shape in the end and it was emitting a large dome shield that was taking any damage their warships were dealing to it. However, Artanis noticed that it seemed to be damaged as he saw fire and holes scattered all over the hull of the tower. Artanis eventually found where Alarak is.

"Nice of you to finally join the fight, Artanis." Said Alarak. "Had trouble with the ghosts of the enemy we slain in space?" Asked Alarak, mockingly. Artanis glared at him before replying.

"Enough, Alarak! This is not the time for games! Whatever the Terrans found here, cannot be good. We must find a way pass that barrier or risk the fate of Koprulu and our people." Said Artanis. "Now, do you know of a way past that barrier?"

"Only two." Said Alarak, respecting Artanis's outburst. "If we combined the fire power of all the ships in our fleets, we may be able to destroy that shield and anything in it. If that fails, we will have to go through a hail of Terran fire to reach our target. It appears that we can pass the shield just fine. The problem is the Terran return fire on us."

"Are those are only options?" Asked Artanis.

"Unless, you want to destroy this planet then yes." Said Alarak.

"*Sigh* Very well, let us attempt this plan of yours." Said Artanis, ordering his fleet to fire on the Xel'naga shield with Alarak doing the same. The two and their forces on the ground waited until a barrage of energy blast from the ships in orbit fired at the shield. The shield held on for a few moments before succumbing to the barrage and breaking entirely, allowing the barrage to annihilate the Terran forces outside the Xel'naga tower. The barrage soon stopped and the Protoss forces moved in. Artanis looked at the devastation brought to the Terran forces. Nothing was left, not even ash. It was to his surprise that the Xel'naga artifact was, for the most part, intact. However, it still received some damaged from the barrage as there were more holed in the structure. Artanis then sent an observer to scan the tower. It eventually came back and revealed that there were only one scientist remaining. Artanis then decided to go in alone and went inside, with Alarak in tow. The two then saw that the scientist was hastily trying to activate something in the tower.

"C'mon. Work! You infernal machine!" Cried the man in anger. He was so distracted by his work that he didn't notice the two Protoss coming right behind him. "C'mon. C'mon. Yes! I done it!" Cried the scientist in joy.

"Amusing. Now die." Said Alarak before slashing the man in half. Artanis then glared at Alarak and was about to berate him when the tower began to shake.

"Hierarch, we are detecting massive power coming from the tower." Said an operator of the Spear of Adun.

"Is it dangerous?" Asked Artanis.

"I am not sure Hierarch, but I recommend that we remove our ground forces. Just to be safe." Said the operator.

"Then do so." Said Artanis, before being warped into the bridge of the Spear of Adun with Alarak being warped into his ship, the Bane of Amon. The ground forces soon following. "Are all forces secured?" Asked Artanis.

"Negative, we just need a few seconds longer." Said the Operator. After a few seconds, the last of the troops were inside the Protoss ships when the tower activated. It emitted a large sphere that grew in size, engulfing both Tal'darim and Daelaam ships. With it soon engulfing the entirety of both fleets.

* * *

 **Unknown Location**

 **Dazed, Artanis blinked at how instantaneous whatever trip he and those aboard had taken was.**

* * *

"Are we...are we still alive?" Said Artanis, as he looked around to see his crew dazed as well. He then attempted to contact his fleet and the Tal'darim. After several tries he managed to make contact with both. It was then that he saw through the bridge view of the outside and was confused at the sight that greeted him. For he saw, not the barren world that he and the Tal'darim fought in but a lush and full of life world. Looking to his ships instruments, it became apparent that they were no longer on the planet they were just struggling upon. They were not even in the same part of the galaxy, as noted from the correlation of the stars.

"But if that is indeed the case...where, then, are we?" Artanis questioned as it became apparent to him that the Xel'naga artifact caused them to enter some brand new galaxy.

* * *

 **First chapter done. Next time, we'll have the Tal'darim and Daelaam sent scouts to investigate this new world while there they will find many things that will shock them. Also, this is taking place during the magic games. Particular the first match. You know, the whole find the real person game. Anyway, yeah I gave Alarak his own Spear of Adun. Because I think that Alarak wouldn't just stay on board on the Spear of Adun for so long without some interior motive, like trying to have as much information as possible for the ship so he can make his own. Also there will be pairings for both Alarak and Artanis. The possible ones are:**

 **Alarak: Kamika, Meredy**

 **Artanis: Kagura, Cosmos, and Sayla.**

 **I still haven't decided which gets paired with who as I really like all of them. Also, I am horrible at making names. So can anyone help me and make names for Protoss OC's. I appreciate it. Final thing, should I go make my own intro for this as well and talk to the characters in here? Read, Rate, Review, and see you all next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Meeting the locals**

* * *

Spear of Adun

War Council chamber

* * *

Artanis was patiently waiting for Alarak and his advisors to come. After hours of hard work they managed to find the entirety of both the Daelaam and Tal'darim fleets, which were a total of 3000 warships that were either Tempests, Carriers, Void Rays, or Motherships. And that was not counting the reserve warships within the Ark ships and can make more with the massive reserve of minerals and Vespene gas. Having been transported by the Xel'naga artifact to a strange new world, Artanis called for a meeting with his top advisors as well as the Tal'darim to discuss their course of action. After a few more minutes Alarak came with three of his advisors.

"Artanis, glad to see you are not space dust yet." Said Alarak, mockingly.

"Now is not the time for games, Alarak. We need to figure out where we are now." Said Artanis. Alarak then chuckled amusedly before allowing Artanis to continue. "Now, executor Janix have you discovered anything about the world we are orbiting?" Said Artanis, a hologram of the planet showing up in the war council chamber.

A high Templar executor shook his head. "Very little, Hierarch. Scans have shown that there is sapient life on the planet but that is all we have until a more through scan is done."

"Hmm. Perhaps we should send some of our warriors to investigate the surface and talk to the life forms there." Said another executor. The Daelaam Protoss went into thought. It was an okay strategy. The problem was how the locals will think of them. They were physically imposing and their voices may discourage them. The locals may also not have advanced enough to achieve space flight as their scans have revealed there to be only one artificial satellite in orbit around the planet. As they were in thought Alarak spoke.

"*Sigh* If you spent this much time thinking as you do actually doing something, we would have already decided to do something." Said Alarak. "I say that we send a detachment of our finest warriors that are capable of cloaking themselves. That way we will have both information on the inhabitants of this world and keep our presence hidden." Suggested Alarak. The Daelaam Protoss thought it over and decided.

"I agree with Alarak. His plan may be the most effective we have now." Said Artanis, before turning to Alarak. "I will send Avengers and Dark Templar to the surface along with observers. What will you send?"

"I will dispatch my blood hunters. They will suffice in gaining intelligence." Said Alarak. The blood hunters may have been formed to assassinate those who the high lord sees as weak but they are also good in gathering intelligence.

"Then it is decided. We shall deploy them in this continent." Said Artanis, the hologram of the planet zooming in to a specific continent in the planet.

* * *

Sometime later

Crocus

* * *

"Why are we sent here to simply observe when we should be killing?" Complained a Tal'darim blood hunter named Xaanul to his Dark Templar and Avenger compatriots. The three were sitting on the outer edge of a large coliseum. The Avenger sighed before replying.

"Because our leaders want to know as much as this world as possible before taking action against them." Said the avenger named Karanix.

"Tch! We should just take this world by force! They have no way to combat against out mighty fleets!" Said Xaanul.

"And eliminate a race that has no way to defend themselves!?" Said the Karanix, getting angry. Before they could argue further they heard cheers coming from the crowd gathered in the coliseum. The three looked to see a group of Terrans coming out of one of the multiple entrances of the arena in the middle for the coliseum. They along with everyone else were surprised to see Terrans here. They wondered why and why they were not as advanced as the Dominion.

"I'm all fired up!" Yelled a pick haired Terran as he and his team were entering a coliseum along with several other teams. They noted the strange differences between the Terrans here and the Terrans they knew. For one they have unnatural hair and eye colors yet they seemed to be natural. Another, was some were as large as the armor the Terrans use for their soldiers or were small to be considered children. Some Terrans didn't even look like Terrans at all! The last was that the females *coughs* assets were bigger and wore mostly clothes that revealed them. The Protoss groaned. Why do humans place so much attention to their female's chests is beyond them. Perhaps it was a way to entice males to mate with them? After the last team entered with a flash of lighting a Terran announced that the games will begin. After the explanation and reading some minds the Protoss understood. This was a tournament where teams that represent groups called guilds compete against each other to see who is the strongest. However, they were concerned that somethings was amiss. For one, after reading the mind of the ones in charge of speaking for this tournament they learned that this tournament was supposed to be for fun, something that annoyed Xaanul, but two of these teams think otherwise. The team representing a guild called Sabretooth think this tournament was a mere test to see which of their members can stay or not as well as showing that their guild is the strongest, something that was approved by Xaanul. The one called Raven Tail seemed to only compete for something called the Lumen Histoire, which only the guild called Fairy Tail knows. They searched the minds of the ones from Fairy Tail and knew that the Lumen Histoire is a crystal containing the founder of their guild and is very powerful, something that they should inform the high lord and hierarch about. The others, however, seem to compete for fun. The exception being Fairy Tail and several individuals, who is competing for fun but also to regain their reputation after they lost it seven years ago. It was then that they heard an announcement of the first match up. It will be something called hidden, where the announcer said that each team will select a member to compete. After they were selected, the Protoss were surprised when they saw holographic buildings appear where the selected participants were gathered. They were later surprised again when they saw multiple copies of the participants in this match. They then used their psionics to learn that these were copies.

"I see. This is a match where the participants must find the real one from the fakes." Said Karanix. The match then began and they soon learned how this will go. If the participants find the real ones and attacked them successfully they score a point but if they hit a fake they lose a point. After some time of watching, the Protoss were disappointed at Fairy Tail's performance. They were doing terribly. The black haired one was doing terrible. He has so far not managed to get even one point to his team and was so far only gotten negative points for all the times he's been caught. And the blue haired one was not doing better. Her only point got lost due to a distraction of a promise from their master of the winner team getting to boss around the loser team. They searched her mind and saw she was too much in love with the black haired team mate to the point of obsession. They also searched the mind of the member from the Guild Sabretooth. He planned to use a spell to attack everyone after analyzing their movement. A strategy with a flaw that can be exploited if the spell missed or the opponents have something to defend themselves. He has covered this with providing an illusion of himself but it still a fatal flaw. They searched the member of Raven Tail as well. He seemed to only want to target the Fairy Tail mages. They understood why. They wanted to embarrass Fairy Tail and forced them to give up their secret to win the game. It was either restoring their reputation or keeping their secret. A plan with a flaw. If the Fairy Tail team managed to pick themselves up from this bad start they will not need to reveal their secret. After the black haired one failed again, Xaanul got fed up and fired a void stasis at Raven Tail mage, revealing him to the black haired one. The black haired one looked at the Raven Tail mage in surprise before attacking. It was then that Xaanul released the Raven Tail mage from the void stasis, allowing Fairy Tail A to get a point. The other two Protoss looked at him in Surprise.

"Why did you help?" Said The Dark Templar, Lejada. "You know that we are not allowed to intervene."

"The black haired one annoyed me with his inefficiency." Said Xaanul. "If he was in the Tal'darim he would be dead. But since, he is not and I have orders to not take a life I decided to give this one a chance to redeem himself. I will assist him in gaining enough point to get him back to zero after that it is up to him to succeed. If you will not help me, I will do it myself." Said Xaanul before launching another void stasis at the one mage from Blue Pegasus and then releases it to allow the black haired one to score another point. The other two Protoss looked at each other. They knew that they had orders to not intervene but still…it couldn't hurt to help Fairy Tail a bit, so they allowed Xaanul to do his work. After some time the one from Sabretooth did his strategy and managed to score ten points for his team. The black haired one charged at him, who was now stuck in a void stasis. The one from Raven Tail attempted to attack him but was stopped by a void stasis from Lejada, allowing the Fairy Tail mage to score one point. The game then ended and the order was Sabretooth, Raven Tail, Mermaid heel, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus, and Quarto Cerberus. With both Fairy Tail teams scoring only one point due to both having the same score. With the others scoring (AN: In order) 10, 8, 6, 4, 3 and 2. The reason for Fairy Tail teams still scored so low was due to the black haired one having so many negative points, much to Xaanul's chagrin, and Xaanul didn't attempted to help the blue haired one. The reason Mermaid Heel scored so high was due to Lejada helping their member. The blood hunter and Avenger didn't comment on this, already knowing why. Despite the comeback from Fairy Tail A, the crowd still jeered and insulted Fairy Tail, much to the disgust of the Protoss, though Xaanul didn't care.

"Why did they insult the Fairy Tail mages?" Said Karanix, angry.

"Hmph. They believe that Fairy Tail is a terrible guild and do not deserve to be here." Said Xaanul.

"I agree with Xaanul, they do not believe in the potential of Fairy Tail." Said Lejada. The Protoss sighed at the Terrans stupidity. They then watched the single matches, knowing that they cannot intervene here. After watching the single matches the Protoss left, knowing that the tournament was over for the day. They then went to find a place they can safely warp back to the Spear of Adun without anyone looking.

* * *

Night

Local Bar

* * *

While most of the Fairy Tail mages were drinking due their poor performance or keeping the ones drinking from destroying the place Erza Scarlet was meeting with Jellal, who participated in the Grand Magic Games as Mystogan, a member of Fairy Tail that went back to his home realm of Edolas. The two were discussing over the strange things that happened on the first event. When they first saw them, everyone, including the spectators and judges, were surprised at them. Though most of them thought that they were just a handy cap for the teams that were performing badly. But to Erza and Jellal it was something different. Reason being that despite Mermaid Heel being one of the teams doing badly they did better than Quarto Cerberus yet they got one instead.

"Do you have any idea what those things were?" Asked Erza. "What it your guild's doing?"

"I have no clue but Crime Sorcière had nothing to do with it. We don't have any spells that are capable of doing something like those that imprisoned the other participants and if we did everyone would have known that those would have come from an outside source." Said Jellal. "But, I'll look into it. But something if off. I sensed no magic power from those things. It seemed they were made from somethings else."

"Alright, but be careful. If those things did come from something else they may be hostile." Said Erza. Jellal nodded before leaving to go meet up with the other members of Crime Sorcière.

* * *

Spear of Adun

War Council chamber

* * *

Meanwhile Alarak and Artanis were reviewing the reports from all the teams they sent all over the continent that they now know is called Fiore. The ones that caught that their attention were the ones that had investigated the Magic council, royal family, the legal guilds, dark guilds, and the Grand Magic Games. Artanis was looking in all the reports with interest and was formulating a plan while Alarak was only interested in the report for the dark guilds and sabretooth. Artanis was currently wondering if the Protoss should make contact with the people of this world and who they should. If he made such a move they will have to go make contact with the royal family due to them being the real ruling power in Fiore. The magic council also seemed to be extremely cautious with anything they don't know or can't control if the documents they stole from the magic council about their relations with Fairy Tail are any indication. With them having such a large fleet, unknown powers, and advanced technology the magic council will most likely label them as enemies. Though there was still the problem that the royal family will think of them the same as well with the same reasons. He then looked at report for the Grand Magic Games and the ones that are participating. He was disgusted with the spectators with their treatment of Fairy Tail. He was also disgusted that a known dark guild was allowed to participate in this competition and with how sabretooth is managed. He then looked at the part on Fairy Tail and the other guilds. Fairy Tail was…for a lack of a better term wild. Their destruction of civil property made them highly unpopular with the magic council and made him concerned. The other guilds had nothing that piqued his interest except for the mermaid heel guild. Their ace in the hole, Kagura Mikazuchi, if the report on her is of any indication. She apparently lost a loved one by the hands of someone he once called friend and is now seeking vengeance for him. The one she lost was her own brother called Simon and that the killer was someone named Jellal. This reminded him much of how he felt when Zeratul died. He felt anger at Amon for making him take the life of his friend and wanted to kill him. He eventually made peace with his actions and made a memorial for him but he still missed him. He knew that it was against his will but he still felt bad about it. Going back to Kagura, He already knew where Jellal was. No one in this world seemed to not have any kind of protection against psionics powers. He was in the Fairy Tail team B. He wondered if he should tell her. That may gain the Protoss a valuable ally. He shrugged that idea off. What was he thinking?! He was basically thinking of taking an innocent life for an ally. His mentor, Tassadar, would have not even think about such a thing. No, if they were to gain an ally they will have to do so another way.

"Alarak, what do you think we should do?" Asked Artanis. He knew that he shouldn't ask Alarak of advice but he wondered what Alarak thought. Plus, there was the fact that the Tal'darim composed of half of the Protoss presence here.

"Hmm. I suggest we hire someone to kidnap one of the members of this Fairy Tail. They treat each other like family, so they'll most likely do anything to get one of their members back." Said Alarak. "It is then we rescue the kidnaped member and return them to the guild. They will know nothing of the truth and we will gain a possible ally."

"I disagree, Alarak. Fairy Tail will eventually find out the truth and distrust us. We need another way." Said Artanis. "An opportunity will present itself if we are patient. For now we will continue monitoring the tournament."

"Very well. I will go there myself." Said Alarak. "I have training in the ways of the blood hunters. What about you, hierarch?"

"I asked Vorazun along with the most experiences of Avengers to teach me the ways necessary to cloak myself. While I am not as efficient as them, it will suffice." Said Artanis. "I will accompany you."

Alarak chuckled before leaving the Spear of Adun, eager to see the Grand Magic Games with his own eyes and in person. Meanwhile Carla experienced another vision and was instantly afraid. In her vision she saw strange creatures fighting somethings.

* * *

 **Read, Rate, and Review guys. Yeah, I made it possible for the Protoss to mind read people because I think that the mechanics for Psionics are different than the magic in Fairy Tail. It also helps, that no one in Fairy Tail universe has ever encountered Psionics before and will not have anything to defend against it. I also, made it so Artanis and Alarak have the ability to cloak themselves. This is in par with the decades later after StarCraft two events. See you all next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Never anger a Psionic alien.**

* * *

Grand Magic Games coliseum

Crocus

* * *

Artanis and Alarak was currently watching the match up against Mirajane from Fairy Tail B and Jenny from Blue Pegasus. Needless to say they were annoyed with how it was going. This was supposed to be a tournament to test strength and cunning. Instead, they see the two women posing with their swimsuits and a whole bunch of inappropriate things in the match. Artanis, while watching remembered the matches before this. The Chariot race was where he saw firsthand the legendary dragon slayers succumb to their motion sickness. Needless to say it was amusing to Alarak that such powerful being can be brought down by something as simple as a moving vehicle. However, Artanis was impressed with the one called Natsu Dragneel's speech on why they were in the Grand Magic Games after the one called Sting from sabretooth asked why. They were doing it for their friends that stayed to keep the name of their guild alive when they were in stasis for seven years. With that, the Natsu and another called Gajeel raced to the finish line and scored a point for both their teams. It was not much but it got them public support from the crowd. The next matches however, disgusted him. The Raven Tail mage after beating the rather dumb one from Lamia Scale destroyed some of value to him and mocked him for it. Though Artanis wondered why something like a sock was valuable. Alarak, however, was impressed with the Raven Tail member's ruthlessness and cruelty. The one with Quarto Cerberus somewhat disgusted him as well. The one called Bacchus made a deal with the Fairy Tail mage, Elfman, that if he won he will sleep with his sisters. Something that disgusted the both of them. In the end, Elfman won and gave his team 10 points as well as Quarto Cerberus changing their name to Quarto Puppy. Something that Alarak laughed at. Soon, the match ended with Mira winning. The next match was against Sabretooth member, Yukino Agria and Mermaid Heel member, Kagura Mikazuchi.

"Hm. Artanis, who do you think will win?" Asked Alarak.

"I do not place bets, Alarak. But if I must, I would say Kagura. The one from Sabretooth is far too overconfident. Something that reminds me of someone." Said Artanis, making Alarak chuckle, knowing who he is referring too.

"Your bravery is still commendable, hierarch." Said Alarak. The two then paid attentions and heard that Yukino made a bet with Kagura that they will bet their lives on this match, making Alarak laugh. "That one is awfully overconfident to make such a bet." Said Alarak, amused. Artanis, however, cursed that girl for making such a rash decision. Overconfidence has led to the downfall of many good warriors and appears that it will happen again before his very eyes. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. The two then watched in interest as the two female mages fought against each other. The two were interested in the magic these two displayed. One of the reports said that the strange abilities these Terrans have are from something called magic. While not as powerful as Psionics, it was more versatile. The magic Yukino had enabled her to call fourth beings called spirits to aid her in battle using special keys. A magic Alarak scoffed at as he thinks one should be able to fight by themselves, something that Artanis had to agree on. What would happen if she could not summon the spirits to help her? She would be left vulnerable. The magic that Kagura wielded got both of their attention. It allowed her to change the gravity of her opponents or anything she wished, making them heavier or lighter. Though she only used it once during the match, the fact that one of her guild mates commented that Kagura taught her suggested that she is far more skilled than shown. She impressed them further when she destroyed the supposed strongest zodiac spirit with one strike. And with her sword undrawn. Something that they thought was impossible. "My, my." Said Alarak. "She is truly remarkable."

"Indeed." Said Artanis. "She may prove to be a formidable ally or foe." The match then ended with Kagura winning and scoring her team 10 points, which led to Mermaid Heel going up to 2nd place with a total of 22 points, going ahead of Sabertooth. Something that made Alarak laugh as Mermaid Heel wouldn't have got there if it weren't for the Protoss. With the games now over for today the two Protoss leader left to go back to their ships. However, Artanis had a feeling something was about to happen to the Sabertooth member. Something awful. His Terran friend, Jim Raynor, said it was something called a gut feeling. It kept growing until he decided to check out Sabertooth.

"Alarak, you go ahead and go back to the fleet." Said Artanis. "I need to go do something first."

"Oh? What is it?" Asked Alarak. "Going to spy on the guilds?"

"Yes. I have a feeling that something bad is about to happen." Said Artanis, before blinking out of view. Alarak then chuckled at the hierarch's decision before warping out, not caring if someone saw it. Artanis, while cloaked, was walking on the street when he spotted the Fairy Tail mage Erza was conversing with a Mermaid Heel member called Millianna. Apparently they were friends. He searched both of their minds and saw that Millianna was thinking the same as her teammate Kagura. She was friends with Kagura's brother and wanted revenge. He sighed before continuing to the lodge of Sabretooth. They both didn't know the truth. After searching the mind of both Jellal and Erza, he discovered that Jellal was mind controlled at the time when he killed Kagura's brother. It reminded him of how he was mind controlled when he killed Zeratul. And like him, Jellal regretted doing such a thing despite being mind controlled. He eventually made it to Sabretooth's lodge to find Yukino leaving it with a depressed face. He wondered why and searched her mind. What he found both disgusted and angered him. He learned that the Sabertooth master made her strip in front of her supposed guild mates and remove off her guild mark. And then had the gull to call her a disgrace and weak. Anger swelled inside Artanis, taking over his actions. As soon as Yukino was out of sight and far away as possible, Artanis called forth his Psionics and fired a Psionic bolt at the inn Sabertooth was in, destroying most of the front door and taking a lot of the floor it was on with it. After taking a few deep breaths, Artanis cloaked and left the scene. Not caring if anyone was injured or not. Everyone was most likely in their rooms in the upper floors, sleeping. Artanis was still anger however. If it wouldn't have jeopardized their chances of gaining an ally in Fiore, Artanis would have ordered the fleet to bombard Sabertooth from orbit. Artanis was so in thought that he didn't take in account in bumping into someone. He turned to see it was Kagura Mikazuchi herself. Surprised, Kagura put her hand on her sword and got into a fighting stance. Looking for the one that bumped into her. Cursing himself silently, Artanis blinked out of the way. After being a fair distance away from her, he took a step. However, he made a slight noise with his step, something that Kagura caught. She used her gravity magic and used it in the area the noise was in. Artanis was caught in it, causing him to uncloak in surprise. He cursed himself before blinking out of the gravity change. He then faced the surprised mage, who widened her eyes once she saw what he looked like. He cursed himself again. He had now, revealed himself to someone native to this planet and if he didn't leave now more would soon see him. He had several options. One, he could Psionically force her to sleep but that will cause her to distrust him. Second, was blink and cloak himself again and ran as fast as possible. Same problem with that one. Third, was try and negotiate with her to keep a secret. Considering his options, he went with three. He hoped that she was in a good mood.

* * *

Kagura's P.O.V.

* * *

She never thought she saw something like this. She was out taking a walk when she heard a massive explosion come from the Sabertooth guild. Concerned and curious, she went over there. While on her way there, someone bumped into her. She got into a stance with her hands on her sword out of instinct, she found no one near her. She was about to think it was just her when she heard a footstep. She used her gravity magic where the footstep came from and with a flash of light a creature was seen. It was gone in a blink, leaving her shocked that something escaped her gravity magic. She looked around and saw the creature again. She widened her eyes when she saw it. It was unlike anything she has seen in her life. It stood around three meters tall, two glowing eyes, digitigrade legs, semi-permeable skin covered in scales, four digits on its hands and toes, broad chests and shoulders, narrow waist with slim midsections, and extending back from the crown of its head were several short tendril protruding out. Looking at what it wore, she have never seen such extravagant armor in such shape or form. It completely covered its form, leaving only its face exposed. She also noted that it had a strange object on its back. It also had a crown like object on its head. She noted also that it had no mouth. She was cautious and ready to fight if it attacked when she heard a voice in her head.

"I mean no harm." Said the voice. She widened her eyes.

"A voice in my head?" Thought Kagura, she looked and saw the creature raise its hands to signify that it meant no harm. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke. "What are you?" She asked.

"I am hierarch Artanis, leader of the Daelaam." Said the creature, now known as Artanis. Having now learned that the voice came from the creature Kagura spoke.

"What are you going here in Crocus?" Said Kagura.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you. Please understand. But I mean no harm." Said Artanis.

"I assume you are responsible for the blast earlier." Said Kagura. Artanis nodded, confirming her suspicion. "Why did you do such a thing?" Asked Kagura.

"Those beasts have done something to one of their members that is unforgivable." Said Artanis with anger.

"What was it?" Asked Kagura.

"They banished the one that you fought against for failing to beat you. Not only that but they made her stripe and remove her guild mark in front of everyone in that guild." Said Artanis. Kagura widened her eyes and saw that in Artanis's eyes he spoke the truth. The Mermaid's grip on her sword tightened, her anger building over hearing about the mistreatment what had gone on earlier. No one deserves to be berated in such a way, especially in front of a crowd and not having anyone call out this disgusting behavior? What kind of guild was Sabertooth? What guild made its members do such humiliating things just at the cost of losing a battle in the Grand Magic Games? She couldn't help but feel skeptical however.

"You speak the truth?" Asked Kagura. Artanis nodded

"If you wish to have confirmation, Yukino will tell you the truth." Said Artanis. "She may be reluctant however." Kagura looked at him with suspicion before nodding. She turned to leave when Artanis called out to her. "Will you keep our meeting a secret?" Asked Artanis. She turned toward him. She wondered if she should. This being was clearly something that needed to be known to the council and everyone else. But who would believe her? She had no proof his existence. She will try though.

"I have to. You might be a threat." Said Kagura. She turned to leave. She was about to go when she felt a hand stop her. She turned to see Artanis's hand was on her arm. "Let go, if you want to keep that hand." Warned Kagura.

"I beg you. Please keep this a secret." Said Artanis.

"I will not and there is nothing that you can do abo…" Kagura was then interrupted by Artanis.

"Keep this a secret and I will tell you where Jellal is." Said Artanis, faster than his mind can track what he said. Kagura's eyes widened at this deal. This being was willing to tell her where her brother's murderer was if she kept him a secret. She thought about. On one hand, she will be abandoning her oath to protect the innocent. On the other, she will have an opportunity to avenge her brother. After thinking it over she sighed.

"Very well." Said Kagura. "Now, tell me where Jellal is."

"I will tell you once we find a place where no one will find us." Said Artanis.

Kagura then nodded and asked Artanis to follow her. As she was walking, she was thinking about the deal. If he was telling the truth, she will finally get a chance to avenge her brother. If he wasn't he will feel her blade on his neck.

* * *

 **Well, looks like Artanis messed up. Now, Kagura knows about him and he was forced to make a deal with her. Now, he must decide on choosing his morals or his duty as a leader. What will he choose? Probably, tell her where Jellal is. Betting on it! Now you all go out and read, rate, and review this story. And I'll see you all next time! Oh, and never mess with an alien with Psionics people.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Ace of Mermaid Heel and the Hierarch of the Daelaam**

 **Thaqif: I'll try my best. No guarantees though that I will get everything you want.**

* * *

Sabertooth inn

Crocus

* * *

Natsu really had to hand it to the person that attacked Sabertooth before him. They really did a number on their inn. He was going to make them pay for what they did to Yukino but someone got to them first if the explosion he heard was any indication. He was currently watching some distance away from the crowd of both civilians and Sabertooth members that gathered to see the destruction of the inn where Sabertooth resided in while participating in the Grand Magic Games. With his enhanced hearing, he overheard Sting saying that he'll make the person who did this pay for what they did. Something he doubted, for some reason Natsu thought that whoever did this was holding back and was merely sending a message to Sabertooth. The same message he wanted to tell them, though in a different way. His way was to literally beat them all into submission until it got through their thick skulls that they have to treat their guild members like family. Not to do something like they did with Yukino. He would have attack them now but since there a crowd he had no choice but to begrudgingly hold back.

"Who did this Natsu?" Asked his exceed friend, Happy in fear. He didn't want to find the person that did this. Such destruction and in one shot! Whoever did this must have been at least S-class scale to do such carnage and so quickly that no one saw them do it.

"I don't know, but I do know this." Said Natsu, serious. Happy waited for the answer that Natsu was going to give him. "I want to fight them!" Yelled Natsu out enthusiastically, making Happy fall to the ground in shock and disbelief. Typical Natsu.

* * *

Street of Crocus

* * *

As Artanis was walking with Kagura to their designation where they can converse without interruption or anyone spying on them, he was thinking on his current dilemma. In order to keep his presence and the presence of the Protoss as a whole from the public he will have to sacrifice Jellal in order to do so. But at the same time, he didn't want to. Kagura had no idea that Jellal was mind controlled at the time he killed her brother. He could try and convince her but would she even believe him? He could try and Psionically show her the truth but he doubted that will convince her. She'll likely think it was just a ploy to keep her from attacking Jellal. After going over his options, it appears he will have to tell her. Hopefully, the guild members of Jellal's guild or Fairy Tail will protect him when Kagura comes for him. Or perhaps he can convince her to let go of her anger. Eventually, they were at the Rocky Mountains that surrounded Crocus. Kagura turned toward him.

"We should be safe to converse here. Now, tell me where Jellal is." Demanded Kagura.

"Very well. But first, I ask you that I have your word that you will keep our meeting a secret." Said Artanis. After getting a nod from her, he reluctantly told her. "Jellal is currently a member of Fairy Tail team B, disguised as Mystogan. That is all I know." Said Artanis. Kagura narrowed her eyes at this information. Her hands balling into fists, so tight that her hands hurt from the pressure exerted on them. Her brother's killer was here all along. Right under her nose! She gritted her teeth before taking several deep breaths. She then nodded at Artanis, grateful for the information.

"Thank you. As per our agreement, I will not tell anyone about you." Said Kagura, before turning to walk back to the inn where her team slept in.

"Wait!" Yelled Artanis. Kagura then turned to him.

"What is it?" Asked Kagura. He already got what he wanted from her. What does he want know?

"I want to say what I believe you should do against Jellal." Said Artanis. After seeing her standing still, he continued. "I believe that you should forgive Jellal for whatever he has done to you." Said Artanis, upsetting Kagura.

"Forgive him!?" Yelled Kagura, walking right up to his face which was hard as he towered over her significantly. If she had to be honest, she was a little intimidated by the height difference on their way here but she was too deep in her rage that she cared little about that now. "Why should I forgive him for what he's done!?" Yelling right in the direction of Artanis's face.

"Because I have done a similar thing to someone I called friend." Said Artanis, making Kagura widened her eyes at this revelation. "He was called Zeratul. We fought side by side during a great war that ravaged our home country of Aiur." Explained Artanis, deliberately saying country in hopes that Kagura will believe that he was from an unknown country. It would take too much time to explain the full truth. Or she'll think he's insane. "He was an exile and was ordered to be killed on sight with anyone else that he was in league with but my mentor, Tassadar, worked together with him to save our country. At the time, I was ordered to investigate Tassadar's actions as he has previously went rouge before when I learned that Tassadar joined forces with Zeratul and his followers I was hesitant but I followed my mentor's wisdom because I knew that my people were losing the war for our country. Eventually I called Zeratul an ally and later friend. We all worked together to save our country but it wasn't enough. Our country fell and those of us that survive became refugees and Tassadar died to buy us time to escape. Zeratul took us in to the land that we exiled him and his people to because, despite what we have done to them, we were still the same people of Aiur and they still had loyalty to Aiur. We all hoped to one day regain Aiur. I was made the Hierarch of both my people and the exiles despite my young age. It was hard. There was still animosity between our people. Eventually, I launched an invasion to retake Aiur. Zeratul warned me not to do so but I failed to listen to him. The invasion was going well until a dark being managed to mind control most of my forces as well as myself. In order to free me, Zeratul freed me by sacrificing his own life. Died by my own hands. After being freed, I rounded up our forces and retaken Aiur but at a heavy cost." Said Artanis, his glowing eyes dimming greatly. He didn't tell Kagura the whole truth. How that he had to go sacrifice Shakuras, gaining both the Purifiers and Tal'darim, and a many more that would take too long to explain. He looked at her and saw her giving him a sympathized look.

"I am sorry for everything that you lost but what does this have anything to do with Jellal?" Asked Kagura.

"His situation is like mine. He was mind controlled at the time. By who, I have no idea. But I ask you to not take his life for something that he had no control of." Said Artanis. Kagura went into thought. Should she believe him? For all she knew, he lied about his story so she can feel sorry for him and to prevent her from attacking Jellal by putting up a story that sounded similar to her brother and Jellal's. But she felt that Artanis was telling the truth. Those eyes of his showed no signs of deceit in them and his voice was full of regret and sadness that it made his story believable. He could be just skilled actor but she felt it was not the case. For now, she will believe him until he gave her a reason not to.

"*sigh* I will think about it. For now, I will believe you and I will not attack Jellal today." Said Kagura. "But know this, if you are lying to me about your story and if I find out that you are in league with Jellal. I will take your life." She held up her sword as she said this. Artanis sighed in relief. He knew that it wouldn't be easy in convincing Kagura to let go of her hate but at the least he was making progress. "In the meantime I should go." Kagura then walked away. Artanis looked as she left and then yelled at her to wait. She stopped and saw that Artanis was coming to her. "What is it?" Asked Kagura. Artanis than pulled out a triangle shaped device and put it into her hand.

"If you ever need to talk or if I ever need to talk to you, this device will allow us to communicate with each other." Said Artanis. Before walking away and in a flash of light was gone. She widened her eyes at the sight before looking at the device in her hands. This had been a very unique night. She then walked back to the inn that her team was staying in. After sometime of walking she entered the inn and saw that Millianna was up. When she saw her, Millianna ran up to her, looking concerned.

"Where have you've been Kagura? You've been gone quite a while." Said Millianna. Usually Kagura wasn't gone this long. Her walks usual take only half an hour.

"I took a walk. I decided to take longer than usual." Said Kagura. She made a deal with Artanis after all and she intended to keep it.

"Oh. Okay." Said Millianna, thinking that Jellal was on her mind and she wanted to relieve her anger by doing something. She then noticed the object in Kagura's hand. "Hey, what's that?" Asked Millianna, curious at the object. She has never seen such a thing in her life. It was so pretty and elegant for a triangle. It looked like it was from the palace with all its beautiful curves and elegance.

"Something that I picked up. It's nothing important." Lied Kagura. With that, she went to her room, put the device Artanis gave her on her night stand, took off her clothes and went to take a shower. As the water washed over her she went into thought on what Artanis had told her. If what, he told her was true then she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He lost his country, mentor, friend, and was made a leader despite his inexperience and age. It was quite a lot to take in. She couldn't help but sympathize him. He was like her. They both suffered hardship, lost loved ones, and was placed into positions of powers that they had no prior experience on. Though his was on a much larger scale than hers. She then went into thought about what he said about Jellal and that he was mind controlled at the time. She heard of magic that enabled such a thing but it was hard to master. So, it had to be someone that wanted a puppet and was very powerful. He said that she should forgive Jellal but honestly she couldn't bring herself to do so. She held a grudge against him for so long that it was almost impossible for her to let go. She sighed in frustration. Perhaps a nights rest will help her think. After showering for some time and drying off she donned her sleep wear and went to bed. While trying to sleep she thought about Artanis himself. The man was quite admirable in her eyes. He was strong, powerful if his abilities were any indication, was open minded enough to let go of prejudices views for the common good, and was trustworthy if he trusted her to keep their meeting a secret. To be honest, she couldn't help but think of him. She blushed a bit before going to sleep. She didn't know that there was a Protoss observer watching her and that Alarak was watching her. In fact he was watching the entire conversation between her and Artanis. He laughed at Artanis's story. He knew that the hierarch was soft. His trust in this Terran was an indication of that. If it was him, he would have killed her on the spot, to ensure that no one will know of their presence. He would be doing it now if Artanis wasn't here in this world with him. As much as he disliked saying it, he didn't want to fight the Daelaam. They were far too evenly match to have anything to gain besides the winner doing whatever they please but that would be void. The aftermath would have left the winner severely weakened, too weak to effectively combat this world and its wizards. Besides, he would miss mocking the hierarch and now he had something else to mock him with. As soon as Artanis was in the Spear of Adun, Alarak contacted him and said that he never thought that Artanis was interested in Terran females. The hierarch then ended the transmission between them. Alarak could feel the embarrassment and anger from the hierarch even from how far apart their ships were.

 **Alarak sure knows how to troll someone. Anyway, a brief history lesson for Protoss history right there. Also I noticed that Jellal and Artanis are the same in that they both killed a friend while mind controlled. Huh? What a coincidence. Anyway, so far it's a tie between Meredy, Flare, and Kamika for Alarak. And a tie between Cosmos, Sayla, and Kagura for Artanis. With Hisui and Angel having none. The poll will be up until I think that it stayed up long enough. Now I know that there is a harem option there but if it's a tie for these girls, I'll have to make it a harem regardless. So, if there are no more votes when the poll ends it a harem for both of these guys. Just without Angel and Hisui. So vote guys! And Read, Rate, and Review. I'll see you all next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Just read Magna 509 of Fairy Tail and I was both shocked and angry. First, since when did Mavis and Zeref take the time to make a kid? Second, c'mon Hiro! You better not kill off Kagura! She's my favorite character in Fairy Tail and maybe my number one favorite in all anime! I am also not pleased at how the fight went though I suppose being the child of two strong wizards helped so I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I would. But still! Just don't kill her off! You already wounded people by killing off Makarov! (Is he dead though? People in this series don't seem to die unless we see their dead bodies or something.) Regardless, here's the next chapter here for this fic. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5: Alarak vs. Team Raven Tail and Laxus**

* * *

Grand Magic Games coliseum

Crocus

* * *

Artanis was currently observing the Grand Magic Games from on top of the outer ring of the coliseum. Artanis then remembered the past events as well. He was amazed that Erza took so many monsters at once. She was exhausted after it sure but it was still impressive. Such an accomplishment would have given her great honor and respect from the Protoss. He was certain that, even with the recent advances on implant and genetic enhancements which made his warriors more powerful and faster than ever before on both their physical prowess and Psionic potential along with advancements on shields and armor, the most powerful of monsters she fought would have still given most of his warriors some trouble when confronted alone. Then the Fairy Tail mage, Cana, scored an impressive score from a device that scored magic power when attacked. Her attack destroyed the device and allowed her to win that match up. Such power impressed him. He knew, however that it was nothing compared to the things he witnessed in his life but it still impressed him. He wondered what else Fairy Tail has. He was also wondering where Alarak was. He has not seen the high lord all day and it concerned him. Alarak was one to observe fighting from his own eyes, not a monitor. He asked several of Alarak's advisors but they said that they have no idea where Alarak is. He sighed before focusing on the next match which will be Laxus Dreyar from Fairy Tail versus Alexei from Raven Tail, who unbeknownst to everyone else but Raven Tail was Ivan Dreyar, leader of Raven Tail who disguised himself to participate in the games since guild masters are not allowed to participate in the games. Ivan's plan was simple. Create an illusion where his disguised persona will beat Laxus while he and Laxus talk without anyone knowing since the illusion is so strong that almost no one can notice that they were watching just an illusion. No one except for the Protoss who have their training, technology, Psionics, or all of the above to help them see through the illusion. After creating the illusion, Ivan will make a deal where he will make the illusion of himself lose to the illusion of Laxus in exchange for information of the Lumen Histoire. It was a good plan but Artanis had a feeling the Laxus will not do so. The man, despite his history, will not go and betray his grandfather or go and stoop so low to gain points for his team. Artanis delved into Laxus's mind and knew that Ivan is his father, something that saddened Artanis. A father was supposed to be there for their children yet Ivan cared little for his son, only seeing him as a pawn. After a few minutes of thinking, the fight between them began and Ivan's plan went into effect. The illusion was cast and no one, but Artanis, knew that what they were seeing were mere illusions. It only after a few minutes that Artanis saw something that both shocked and aggravated him.

"What is Alarak doing!?" Thought Artanis as he saw Alarak appear and was conversing with both wizards.

* * *

Alarak's POV

* * *

Alarak knew that Artanis was watching the match and that he would disapprove his actions but he didn't care what the hierarch thought. He will fight someone today and he will do so now. All this observing in the past few days have annoyed him. He dealt his boredom by watching the Grand Magic Games but with the lack of killing and slaughter of the combatants, not to mention the other things that were boring or disgusting in the high lord's eyes, quickly bored and aggravated him. He then decided to participate in one of these matches when provided the chance to get away with it. And with luck, an opportunity presented itself when he read the mind of Ivan. Oh, the Terran thought he was smart for coming up with his stupid plan but Alarak knew that the plan was doomed to fail. This Fairy Tail guild will most definitely not give into his demands. They were too prideful for that. But at least, it gave him something to do other than observing so he will thank Ivan for providing him this chance to fight. Though he wondered, who should he fight? Ivan had his team in the arena, ready to assist him when he needed it. The foolish crowd of Terrans had no idea that the Raven Tail team on the stands were mere illusions. He laughed at how foolish and incompetent the leader of Fairy Tail was for not thinking that Ivan would do something like what he is doing now. And the fact that Ivan was their leader's son added to how incompetent their leader is. But, the Raven Tail mages were all weak when compared to him. He could easily destroy them all and Ivan with ease. Perhaps he should attack Laxus instead? If memory serves him right, Laxus was one of Fairy Tail's S-class mages. Their greatest warriors. He had the powers of Lighting dragon slayer magic, a magic that allowed him to use lighting as attack. Not to mention he can eat it to replenish his strength and make him stronger. He seemed like he could provide a reasonable challenge. Still, there was Artanis and the fact he would berate Alarak for such actions and that was something Alarak would do without. So after some time of thought on the matter, he decided to fight all of them and not kill anyone. That way he would have a challenge and get the hierarch off his back or at the least lessen the time of the lecture he would have with him. His first step was to get Ivan to not attack him before the match started. He began by grabbing one of his subordinates and told them that he would have a deal with Ivan if Ivan will listen to what he said during his match with Laxus. It was no problem getting the schedule and taking one of the Raven Tail mages from the others. The woman named Flare was alone for some time, so he grabbed her and told her his proposition. Oh, how he remembered it.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

 _Flare was walking in the hallway that would led her to the arena when a hand grabbed her and pulled her to a dark corner. She winced in pain when it touched her in one of her more serious bruises. The beating she got from Ivan still hasn't fully healed. She was about to attack the person who grabbed her when a voice talked in her head._

" _Do it and you will regret it." Said the voice. She widened her eyes at the voice in her head. She looked up and was instantly afraid. The being that grabbed her towered even Ivan in height. It's dark armor, red glowing eyes, and extremely pale skin added to the fear she felt. Not only that, but she felt so much dark power coming from him that it made Ivan's look pitiful compared to him. She then looked at the hand that grabbed her. The arm had an attachment on it that had a blade that extended a little after the hand and the fingers were encased in metal that ended sharply, making them effective weapons. "Now, do as I say, Terran and you will not be harmed." Said Alarak. "But if you will not…" Alarak then increased the pressure he had on her arm, making her wince in pain. She nodded quickly, not wanting to be on his bad side. "Good." Said Alarak, before letting her go._

" _W-what do you want?" Said Flare, stuttering._

" _I require that you go and inform to your master that I want to speak to him during his match with Fairy Tail. Tell him, that I will give him information on Lumen Histoire if he does so." Said Alarak, making her widened her eyes._

* * *

Present

* * *

She was hesitant on following his orders at first, but after a show of force she was convinced. So now, here he was standing between the two mages, both surprised that Alarak appeared out of thin air in a flash of light. They were even more surprised at what he looked like.

"Laxus Dreyar." Said Alarak. "S-class mage of Fairy Tai, grandson of Makarov Dreyar, and the supposed Lighting dragon slayer. I expected so much more." Said Alarak, before turning to Ivan. "And Ivan Dreyar. Guild master of Raven Tail, son of Makarov Dreyar, and… well I don't know anything about else about you so let's end it there." Said Alarak, amused at the look of offense on Ivan's face and the look of suspicion on Laxus'. "I am Alarak, high lord of the Tal'darim. I believe one of your followers told you about me, Ivan."

"So, you're the one Flare informed me of." Said Ivan. When Flare told him that someone jumped her and ordered her to tell him that he wished to speak to him, he immediately grabbed her by the throat and reprimanded her for being caught by surprise. He was slowly choking her when she said that the man told her that he will tell Ivan about the Lumen Histoire. Surprised, he let her go and told her to continue. At first, he didn't buy it but decided to go along with it.

"Yes, but that is irrelevant. What is relevant, is that I wish to fight. You two will fight me for my entertainment and in return I will grant one of you something you desire." Said Alarak, gaining both of their attention. "For Laxus, I won't tell anyone about the Lumen Histoire or any other dark secrets Fairy Tail has but for Ivan, I will tell him every single one of Fairy Tail's secrets." Proposed Alarak. Ivan grinned at the anticipation of gaining every single one of Fairy Tail's secrets and the fact he just needed to give this thing a good fight strengthened his anticipation. Laxus just scoffed before replying.

"How do we even know you're telling the truth? For all we know, you're lying." Said Laxus. There was no way that this…whatever this Alarak is knows all of Fairy Tail's secrets. Ivan looked like he was in thought was well. He may not care for his son, but he had to admit he had a point. For all he knew, Alarak was lying just so he can get something out of it. Alarak laughed before replying.

"Then this will convince both of you. This was acquired from one of my warriors." Said Alarak. "Seven years ago, Laxus attempted a coup for the control of Fairy Tail from his grandfather. The attempt failed and Laxus was banished from Fairy Tail." Laxus both flinched at the memory and widened his eyes at this reveal. There was no way that anyone but those within Fairy Tail knew of that. Ivan, however, was impressed that Alarak knew of something that only those in Fairy Tail knew. He only knew of it thanks to Gajeel and he interrogated former Fairy Tail members for the information but they kept their mouths shut. To think that Alarak, knew of such tight information meant that he was telling the truth. "If that was not enough, then this information of Lumen Histoire will convince you both. The Lumen Histoire is actually a giant Lacrima that contains the body of Fairy Tail's fir…" Alarak couldn't say more as he had to dodge a lighting attack from Laxus. He looked and saw Laxus with an angry expression on his face.

"How the hell do you know that much about the Lumen Histoire!?" Yelled Laxus. There was no way that Alarak could get anything related to the Lumen Histoire. It was a rule that only the guild master of Fairy Tail and their successors can know about it. He only knew what he knew about it from his grandfather but even then it wasn't much. The fact that Alarak knew it was of grave concern and danger to Fairy Tail.

"If you wish to know, then fight me." Said Alarak, as he ignited his band blades on both of his wrist mounted psi-blade focusers. The two were surprised that Alarak summoned red blades of energy from both of his wrists. They were even more surprised when Alarak suddenly vanished in a flash of light and then reappeared in front of Laxus. He kicked Laxus in the chest, sending him flying to the ground. "I believe I got some good distance on that." Said Alarak. Laxus got up and fired a lightning bolt at Alarak, only to be surprised that a red hexagonal shaped field flashed into life and protected Alarak from the lightning bolt. He shook of his stupor and used his lighting magic to propel him to Alarak. He raised his fist and with the resulting momentum punched Alarak. Or he could have if it weren't for the field once again protecting Alarak. Alarak looked amused at the attempt before slashing at Laxus's chest, causing him to yell out in pain. He then fired psionic lighting at Laxus, propelling him to the wall and shocking him further. Laxus couldn't understand it. This was lighting but he couldn't eat it. This was something else. After Alarak was done, Laxus slumped to the ground in pain. "Oh-ho, the pitiful dragon slayer can't get up after being shocked by his own element?" Mocked Alarak. "I suppose I cannot blame you though. Psionic lighting is different than what you faced before in your life?" Alarak was about to say more but his instincts told him to get out of the way. He blinked out of the way and saw that the entire Raven Tail team was here.

"Did you honestly forget about me?" Said Ivan. "I have a proposition for you. Give me what you have on the Lumen Histoire and I'll let you join Raven Tail." To his surprise, Alarak laughed.

"Join you? Oh, that is amusing. You assume that you can control me. I have been controlled by a far greater being than you can ever imagine." Said Alarak, remembering Amon and how he used the Tal'darim. "Since the Fairy Tail mage did not give me what I desired, you all will have to do. Show me what you can do." Said Alarak as he charged forward, using his psionics to boast him to the blue one with the long nose. He crashed into the blue one and knocked him back a bit, knocking him out. He turned to see the small purple one charging at him, his fists covered in spikes. Alarak, unimpressed, used his psionics to telekinetically grab him and slammed him to the ground, getting the same result with the blue one. Alarak then saw his shields flare up and grabbed the black haired one by the neck. He threw him and fired a psionic bolt at him. The bolt was powered down so it didn't kill the mage but it did cause him to crash into the wall, making it crack. Alarak growled as he realized people were looking at the sudden crack in the wall. He had to finish this quickly or risk being discovered. He turned to Ivan, who was in shock that his team was taken down so easily and grabbed him by the neck. Before he did anything, Alarak turned to Flare, who had her eyes widened in fear and was shaking when Alarak looked at her. He laughed in amusement before psionically forcing her unconscious. Alarak then threw Ivan to the wall and launched a destruction wave at him, destroying a good chunk of it and knocking out Ivan. Alarak then cloaked himself just before the illusion ended and left the arena. It was a stroke of luck to Alarak that Laxus just got up. At least there will be an excuse on what happened. After some time walking out of the arena and finding a hidden alley Alarak decloaked. "I know that you are there Artanis." Said Alarak. "Care to congratulate me for my performance?" Artanis then decloaked and glared at Alarak.

"What were you thinking?" Demanded Artanis. "You know as well as I do that we must keep our presence hidden from the Terrans for the time being. The fact that you exposed yourself to several complicates the matter."

"And it is different from your encounter with the one from Mermaid Heel how?" Asked Alarak.

"That is different Alarak. Unlike you, I handle the problem peacefully and she trusts me for the time being. You just attacked several Terrans and didn't try and convince them to keep you a secret. The people will not care for the Dark guild but the one in Fairy Tail will tell his guild on what has transpired and they will be weary of us. The fact that they know that you have information on the Lumen Histoire complicates it further. They will most likely see us as a threat now." Said Artanis.

"Let them. They will face the wrath of the Tal'darim if they dare attack us." Said Alarak. Artanis sighed in frustration. Times like these, reminded him of the twilight council and the constant bickering that led to nowhere. Artanis was about to argue again when Alarak suddenly used his psionics and grabbed a small creature. It was brown and had a cheshire like smile on it. It was the creature with the blue one from Raven Tail. He then crushed it and turned to Artanis. "It appears we had a spy." Said Alarak, showing Artanis the remains of the creature.

"Did it reveal anything?" Asked Artanis, urgently.

"No, it seemed to operate on its own. It sent no message or anything of the sort to anyone." Said Alarak, throwing the remains down a sewer.

"We must leave before anything else finds us, Alarak." Said Artanis. The two then cloaked and went to find a place to wrap back to their ships safely.

* * *

Infirmary

Sometime later

* * *

Makarov, Fairy Tail team A and B, and the thunder legion were in the infirmary as Porlyusica tended to Laxus. After the match ended with Fairy Tail team B winning and Raven Tail arrested, they hurried to tend to Laxus's wounds. The fact that his wounds were caused by lightning and a slashing weapon caused concern as no one in Raven Tail had lightning magic or a slashing weapon that can cause burns. While being treated, Laxus told them the truth of what happened out in the match. Needless to say it caused shock, and concern among the fairies.

"So this Alarak interrupted your fight with Raven Tail and challenged you all to a fight in exchange for either keeping the Lumen Histoire a secret or telling it?" Asked Makarov, seriously. This was a very serious situation. If this Alarak knew of the Lumen Histoire, it could mean grave danger to Fiore and Fairy Tail. Laxus winced when Porlyusica dapped disinfectant on his slash wound before replying.

"Yeah. I don't know how but he knew about it all right, old man." Said Laxus. "Put up a hell of a fight too and I got the feeling he wasn't even taking me seriously." The fact that Laxus was complimenting on Alarak's fighting skills made everyone concerned. If Laxus was to be believed, Alarak is a dangerous and powerful foe. And if his title of high lord meant anything, he had many resources to use.

"Master, do you know anything of these Tal'darim?" Asked Erza. She honestly never heard of a Dark Guild like that.

"No, I'm afraid not. It's possible that they kept themselves hidden extremely well." Said Makarov, uncertainty. There was no way that the Tal'darim kept themselves hidden for so long without anyone finding them out. They would have already have been subjugated by one of the Balam alliance by now if they existed for some time. And the information from Gajeel when he was in Raven Tail as an undercover for Fairy Tail told him all the dark guilds in existence, which he gave to the magic council, had nothing on the Tal'darim.

"Is it possible that they just formed?" Asked Freed. Everyone hummed in thought. It was sound. If they just formed, then no one would have noticed them as they had no reputation to speak of and the Balam alliance wouldn't care for a dark guild that just started. Perhaps this was a way to get attention. But that wouldn't count for Alarak. His powers and abilities shown in Laxus's fight with him, would have him in the levels of Fairy Tail's S-class mages. If Alarak is that powerful, then how come nobody knew about him?

'Whoever they are, they made a big mistake. Old man, what should we do with them?" Asked Laxus. He honestly wanted to go and find them. If they were a dark guild then they had to be dealt with if they were attempting to sabotage the Grand Magic Games.

"For now, we keep a close eye on things. This Alarak wouldn't do anything rash if he wants to be known. He obviously played it safe because he was uncertain on how he would fare against all the mages here." Said Makarov. "But if he does do anything, he will rue the day that he messes with Fairy Tail!" Declared Makarov. Unbeknownst to the fairies, Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid heel listened in from outside. She frowned and left before anyone noticed her. She had someone to talk to. She was watching from her guilds stands and when the illusion ended, she was in shock as everyone else was. The entire Raven Tail team was there, knocked out, and Laxus was heavily wounded if his burns and him holding his chest was of any indication. As he was being taken away be his team, she analyzed the arena and concluded Laxus couldn't have beaten the Raven Tail mages and someone else did. Her reasoning was that, no one in Raven Tail had any lightning magic to utilize, none of the Raven Tail mages had any wounds related to lightning and seemed to be more physical attacks than anything else, and to top it all off she saw a shroud of darkness that just dissipated as the illusion wore off. It reminded her of how Artanis revealed himself to her when they first met. This along with Laxus's description of Alarak made her think that Artanis had something to do with this. If he was involved and he was attempting to sabotage the Grand Magic Games or harm anyone in Crocus, he will taste her blade. But something inside her made her think otherwise. Alarak's appearance, if Laxus's information was reliable, was radically different from Artanis's. She wondered if Alarak and his Tal'darim were a different group from Artanis's. It made sense. The different designs in armor supported this. It also helped that Alarak's group was called the Tal'darim and Artanis's was called the Daelaam. For all she knew, the Tal'darim are a separate group that followed their own path. She had to be sure however. She went to the inn and pulled out the communication device that Artanis gave her. She fiddles with it as Artanis never said how it worked before accidentally pushing a button. The green gems engraved in the device glowed as well as the blue gem in the center. After laying on a table in her room and a few minutes of waiting, the blue gem glowed brighter until it emitted a screen and from that screen was Artanis. Her eyes widened a bit.

"What is it, Kagura?" Asked Artanis at the surprised mage. Kagura shook her stupor off before asking Artanis.

"Did you have anything to do with the previous event?" Asked Kagura. Artanis sighed before replying.

"I should have known that you would discover this. No, but I know of who did." Said Artanis. Kagura narrowed her eyes.

"You know him?" Asked Kagura.

"Yes. He is Alarak, high lord of the Tal'darim." Said Artanis, confirming Kagura's suspicions.

"Then do you plan to sabotage the Grand Magic Games with him or endanger anyone in Crocus?" Asked Kagura, keeping her anger in check.

"No. Alarak operated on his own. He listens to no one but himself." Said Artanis. "I had nothing to do with his actions. Believe me. I would not dare intervene in your countries tournament." Said Artanis. Kagura looked at him with suspicion. "If you wish, I will apologize to Fairy Tail as soon as my people are revealed. Please, I beg you trust me and keep Alarak, me, and our groups a secret for the time being."

"*sighs* What about Alarak? Would he apologize?" Asked Kagura. She honestly doubted that the fairies will accept the apology from Artanis.

"He will not. Alarak would rather die than apologize to anyone." Said Artanis. "You should go back to the tournament. Your guild mates will be wondering where you are now. If you wish to talk more, contact me again." Artanis then cut off the communication. Kagura sighed in frustration before leaving for the coliseum. She wondered if she should reveal to Fairy Tail she knew of how Alarak is and who he is acquainted with. She shook her head at the thought. The Fairies will most likely either disregard her information or be suspicious of her. She had no relations with them. Only Millianna had any relations with them. With what she told her about them, Erza and her teams seems to be the most likely to believe her. They seem to take anything seriously. Perhaps she should converse with them? But her promise to Artanis prevented her from doing so. So, she will keep her mouth shut until he gave her a reason not to. After a few minutes of walking, she was back in the coliseum and back in the stage with her guild mates. She ignored their questions on where she was and watched the match between Wendy from Fairy Tail and Chelia from Lamia Scale.

* * *

Unknown location

* * *

In a dark cave, a large and mysterious creature was growling impatiently. The Terran said that he had would do his part on convincing the princess of the events that will lead to the impending doom of this country, resulting in her using the eclipse project due to the Terran telling her that it is also a weapon. Unbeknownst to the princess, the disaster was caused by him. He also told her to be label any 2 to 3 meter tall beings that had unknown abilities, had no mouths, and had glowing eyes as enemies. The creature growled at the thought of those beings, knowing who they were. They prevented the Terran from gaining complete dominance of the world in the future and have actually helped humanity push him back! It growled in anger as they have also prevented its own plan from coming to fruition. So, it joined forces with the Terran to travel back in time to stop them from ever helping the humans and ensure that the events that will transpire for their future will go on smoothly. Though, there was a problem. Someone else had managed to travel back in time as well and are set on preventing the future from happening. It growled in annoyance when it learned of this and set its forces to find and eliminate them to prevent them from warning anyone. It then laughed merrily and looked at the inside of the cave to see the glowing eyes of its followers, patiently waiting for their next kill. This was all that was left of his followers after those accursed beings destroyed the place where they spawn but they will do. It then heard a noise and saw the Terran coming. He nodded at the being to confirm that everything was in place. It growled in annoyance that it had to work with a Terran to get what it wanted but it will swallow it's pride and do what needs to be done. It then thought of what will happen to the Terran after his plan was complete and chuckled in its mind. Soon, this Terran will die and its own forces shall rule this planet and soon the galaxy.

* * *

 **Ohh! Who is this new guy? He seems like he means business. Guess what who this thing is and you win a cookie. (I think that's what you do.) Anyway, Read, Rate, and Review guys and I'll see you all next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Contemplation

* * *

Grand Magic Games coliseum

Crocus

Millianna's P.O.V.

* * *

"My head hurts." Millianna whined, rubbing the top of her head as she trailed behind Kagura. They had just finished their match with Lamia Scale. Well, more like Millianna's because she did most of the work due to Millianna wanting to prove to her comrade that their training together had paid off, that she had gotten stronger. It had been going well, until Lyon used an ice make mouse to distract Millianna as she ended up going head first into the brick wall, which left Kagura to take the two men on her own. It wasn't much of a big deal, Yuka was easily taken care of leaving the ice wizard, Lyon. The two went back and forth, before the battle was announced as a draw. A few more seconds and Kagura would have sent the white haired male flying to the ground, solidifying her win. The fact that she was distracted by a simple ice mouse, left Millianna completely embarrassed and ashamed. And to top it all off, Kagura's words after the fight also bothered her.

" _If this wasn't an organized fight, you would be dead."_ Said the swordswoman after the match. Those words kept playing over and over again in Millianna's head, knowing that they were correct and if that was a real fight, she wouldn't even be alive right now. Looking at her friend's down casted expression, Kagura decided to cheer her up.

"Don't worry yourself over it Millianna, its over and done with now." Kagura spoke again, the harshness in her tone softened as she looked over her shoulder to her friend. "I'm just glad you weren't injured any further. But I am proud of you for holding your own out there for as long as you did, Lyon is a formidable opponent." she added, praising the woman of her hard fought feat.

"Thanks, Kagura!" Said Millianna, cheering up at the words of praise from her friend. The two walked for some time until Millianna asked about something that bothered her lately. "So, Kagura. Where you when Sabertooth was attacked?" Asked Millianna, she was wondering why Kagura was up so late and where she was at the time. When she heard about it, she was shocked along with everyone else in their team that someone had the nerve to attack the entire Sabertooth guild. The perpetrator was never caught or seen by anyone but the damage they done meant that they were strong. She noticed with curiosity that Kagura stopped abruptly and tensed up at the question.

"I was out for a walk. I just took longer than usual." Said Kagura. She was a woman of her word and she intended to keep her word to Artanis, despite her instincts telling her to tell someone about him, Alarak, and their groups. She had a feeling that, despite Artanis being honest to her when they met, he wasn't being completely honest. He only gave her a simple version of his story and she wanted more details on his past. She also wanted information on Alarak and the Tal'darim. She got the impression from Artanis and Alarak's actions yesterday, that the Tal'darim are as ruthless and evil as a dark guild. Perhaps even more. She desperately wanted to at least converse with her guild mates but they would be skeptically until she showed them proof. She could contact Artanis with them in the room but she didn't want to deceive the hierarch until he has proven to be a danger to Fiore. For now, much to her chagrin, she will keep her mouth shut. Millianna wouldn't budge, however.

"Really? Because you're longer walks only take fifteen more minutes. You've been gone for several hours." Said Millianna. She was getting concerned that Kagura was hiding something. Something bad. Was it about Jellal? Maybe she knew something about Jellal that made her this way? She grinded her teeth at the memory of her former friend. If he took away another person close to her, she would never forgive him. He made her along with her friends reconstruct the tower of heaven, the place where the suffered for so long when they were children, and killed Simon. What happened to him that made him the way he is? Was he always like that? Did he just crave for power and just saw them as just tools to get it? Whatever the reason is, she will kill him. But for now, she wanted to know what was wrong with Kagura. "If it's about Jellal, you can tell me."

"It's not Jellal." Said Kagura, the hand that was holding her sword tightening at the mention of Jellal. "It's something else." Millianna blinked in confusion at Kagura's answer. Something else? If it wasn't Jellal, then what was it? She then thought up the next logical scenario, at least in her mind, and squealed in delight.

"You meet with a boy in secret!" Squealed Millianna. She never thought that Kagura would do something like that but it excited her nonetheless. Kagura blushed heavily and glared at her friend in annoyance.

"I-It's n-nothing of the s-sort!" Stuttered Kagura, incredulously. She only met with Artanis and that was it. Sure, he was a guy but she had no feelings for him! They just met! Millianna ignored her and began fantasizing on what the boy looked like.

"Oh, Kagura! You're going to get married and have thirty-three kids!" Said Millianna, swooning at the possibilities of so many babies. She then got chop to the head by Kagura, who was beat red now. She whined as she rubbed the head injury before following Kagura to their guild mates. As they were walking, Millianna wondered what the boy was doing now.

* * *

Spear of Adun

* * *

"FOR THE LAST TIME, ALARAK! I have no feelings for Kagura Mikazuchi." Said Artanis to Alarak after he brought up Kagura and Artanis mating and having kids.

"*Chuckles* Of course you do not." Said Alarak, before turning off the transmission. Leaving Artanis to groan in irritation before getting back to work on managing his fleet.

* * *

Grand Magic Games coliseum

Crocus

* * *

Millianna just shrugged before walking again. He was probably thinking of his next meeting with Kagura and how to make it better than their last. Meanwhile Meredy was out walking on the streets of Crocus. She knew that Jellal was the only one allowed to enter Crocus but they needed food and water right now and Jellal was busy with finding the source of the dark magic they all felt some time ago. So, she decided to go out and shop for what they needed, making sure that no one can see her face. After acquiring the things that they needed, she was leaving the city to meet up with Ultear. She was walking down a street when she heard a gasp. She turned to see an old woman with a crystal ball in a booth, a fortune teller.

"Young lady, I have just seen your future and I believe that you may want to know it." Said the old lady. Meredy, out of curiosity, decided to go along with the old lady. She knew that she shouldn't and that she should say no and leave but she honestly wanted to know her future. These fortune tellers were usually scams even with magic but there were a few exceptions.

"What is it?" Asked Meredy.

"I see you and a massive dark figure standing by each other with some children. You two seem happy but I have seen this dark figure commit terrible acts to the kingdom and to your friends." Said the old lady, gravely. This concerned Meredy.

"What did this figure do?" Asked Meredy. If she was going to marry anyone, if this information was reliable, she would like it to be someone who isn't evil and harm her friends.

"This figure destroyed the magic council, killed your friends, and destroyed countless cities and villages. I saw it with a massive army and flying ships destroying the guilds with ease. The visions of this being ended with it killing the guild master of Fairy Tail." Said the old lady, making Meredy afraid. "Yet, whenever I see you, the being is calmer, it still has a murderous intent but it's calmer, almost as if it cares for you. I see you and this being marry and have children. After that, all those dark visions never happened, replaced by happier vision. I don't know what this means but I think that a dark evil is about to befall on Fiore and you seem to be the only one to stop it. "Said the old lady. Meredy went into thought. If all this is true, Fiore will soon face a calamity and that she was the only one to stop it. She honestly shouldn't believe all this but what if it is all true? The dark magic Jellal felt helped as well. What if this vision and the dark presence were intertwined? What if she was the only one that can stop it? Whatever, the reason is she will stop it if it meant saving Fiore and her friends. She then thanked the old lady and left. The old lady told her to wait but Meredy was gone by then. "Oh poo. I guess I'll have to find her again when I have the chance in order to tell her what I found while she was thinking." Said the old lady, remembering the exact same visions she saw with the young woman with the dark figure, only with different women. As Meredy was walking, she suddenly stopped and blushed heavily. She forgot that in order to stop the disaster, she would have to marry the dark figure. Oh, Ultear was going to kill her if that actually happened.

* * *

Spear of Adun

Solar Core

Night time

* * *

Artanis was walking to the solar core so he can converse with Talandar, the current commander of the purifiers, and phase smith Karax, the leader of the phase smiths on board the Spear of Adun. After the war against Amon, Karax was promoted and transferred to the Spear of Adun to help maintain it as he was one of their best phase smith. Talandar was in the Spear of Adun because he didn't trust Alarak and went along with Artanis to serve as protection. Now, in this new sector of space they were now in, Talandar and the purifiers were their only hope of contacting anyone back in Koprulu. However, communication with the purifiers back in Koprulu have been sporadic at best. The massive space between them and the Koprulu sector have caused problems in that they can't get a reliable signal through. So far, they have been unable to send a message. Artanis knew that the purifiers were doing their best but he hoped to have communications with the Daelaam sometime soon as there was still animosity between the protoss factions despite decades of peaceful co-existence. There was also the Tal'darim back in Koprulu. Unless they can send a message through soon, the Tal'darim will presume Alarak is dead and have first ascendant Ji'nara become high lord. From what he can gather and what Alarak told him about her, Ji'nara was cunning but reckless and had the typical characteristics of a Tal'darim. She expressed desire to take Alarak's position as high lord but knew that she did not have the strength or supplicants to attempt Rak'Shir. But with Alarak presumed dead, she can take his position without question and will likely be more ruthless than Alarak in regards to her neighbors. Artanis knew, that she plans to destroy the Terrans for an embarrassment caused by a Terran ghost if her destruction of Terran outpost and colonies were any indication. He knew that they needed to send a message back soon, so they can prevent Ji'nara from becoming high lord. Otherwise, the resulting damages caused by Ji'nara will cause friction between Protoss and Terrans. He soon arrived in the solar core and found Talandar attempting to communicate to the purifiers back in Koprulu with Karax attempting to boast the signal.

"How is it proceeding, Talandar?" Asked Artanis. The quad-legged purifier stop his attempts to address the hierarch.

"The same results hierarch. We are simply too far away from Koprulu to send any transmissions." Said Talandar.

"I have been attempting to boast the signal, hierarch but so far the attempts have been fruitless." Said Karax.

"Continue your work. This must be done if we are to see Aiur once more." Said Artanis.

"As you command hierarch. But can I offer a suggestion?" Said Karax. Curious, Artanis gave permission to Karax. "I have been studying the logs that captured the Xel'naga artifact when it brought us here and I have also studied the files from the Terran bases we destroyed. From what I can decipher from both, that artifact is similar to a Xel'naga warp gate in that it requires another of its kind to transport material to another designation." Explained Karax.

"Are you saying that the Xel'naga artifact could have teleported us to another of it's kind." Said Artanis with hope.

"It's possible hierarch. If it did send us to a location with a similar artifact, we can use it to send us back home." Said Karax.

"Then I will dispatch some of our forces to find this other artifact. It may be our only hope of getting back home." Said Artanis.

"Of course hierarch. But I must warn you. The artifact can also transport material and personal anywhere within a certain radius without another of it's kind to support the transporting." Said Karax. "The artifact may have sent us to an area without another of its kind."

"Then let us pray that is not the case, Karax. In the meantime, Talandar, keep trying on getting a message through." Said Artanis.

"As you command, hierarch!" Said Talandar with Karax helping as well. Artanis then left the two and began to march toward the bridge. He prayed that there is another Xel'naga artifact here so they can use it to take them back home. If there is no such object, then it appears he will have to make a plan to colonize the planet with the Terrans here while they were stuck here. He wondered on how to accomplish this. With all that they possess, the Terrans here will likely deem them a threat and fear them. He didn't want that. He wanted them to see them as equals and friends. But that was something that will not likely happen unless some miracle happened. The Tal'darim were also an issue. Their culture and ways will most likely spark friction between them and the Terrans here. The Dark guilds will try and ally with the Tal'darim when they discover their power, only to be exterminated for trying. As he reached the bridge, he sighed in frustration at the amount of diplomacy he will have to do to keep friendly relations with the Terrans here. When he reached the celestial array, a Zealot informed him that Alarak wanted to speak to him. He reluctantly told the Zealot to put him through.

"What is it, Alarak?" Asked Artanis, not in the mood to deal with Alarak.

"Oh, hierarch. Has the troubles of leadership finally snuffed the fight in you?" Asked Alarak, mockingly before getting serious. "You missed a grand spectacle at the tournament. The one called Natsu defeated the twin dragons of Sabertooth single-handily despite being outmatched and outnumbered." Said Alarak.

"What happened?" Asked Artanis. He spent so much time maintaining his fleet that he didn't have to see the Grand Magic Games for himself.

"The dragon slayers of Fairy Tail went up against the ones from Sabertooth. The fight was spectacular, hierarch. After the twin dragon entered this 'dragon force' and after they all destroyed the arena floor with their power, this Natsu kicked his teammate in a cart and left him going to who knows where. After that, despite the dragon slayers from Sabertooth being in dragon force and that he was not in it, he defeated them both and made his team go up to first place." Explained Alarak. Artanis was impressed. He heard about this dragon force and what it can do to the user. To hear that Natsu defeated two that were in that state without entering in it impressed him.

"What happened after that?" Asked Artanis.

"Nothing much. Only that there will be a big match tomorrow and that it will feature all the teams and their members. The one called Jellal is following a presence he sensed earlier. He thinks that the person is dangerous." Said Alarak.

"What is the person?" Asked Artanis.

"I have no idea. The person left the area before I can sense them and quite frankly, I couldn't care less about that person. If the person was any threat, I would have sensed it." Said Alarak.

"*sighs* Is there anything else?" Asked Artanis.

"Yes. A few of the Fairy Tail mages went somewhere underground the arena. I have no idea what is down there. So, I sent an observer to follow them." Said Alarak.

"I see. I will go down there myself. The fleet can handle itself for now." Said Artanis. "Will you accompany me?"

"Of course. There may be something of value there. Besides, it is dull to simply just wait on a ship and do nothing but observe. Follow these coordinates. They will lead you to where the Fairy Tail mages went." Said Alarak before cutting off the transmission. Artanis then warped down to the arena since there was no one there and soon Alarak appeared as well. The two then jumped down to the hole that was created by the battle between the dragon slayers and began to walk to the coordinates. After sometime of walking the two found what interested the Fairy Tail mages. They found a large grave yard, filled with dragon bones. The two have read about these mighty beasts and how they use to rule the world until the Terrans overthrew them with the power of Dragon slayer magic. To think that the Terrans had the power to overthrow such creatures reminded them of how the Terrans back in Koprulu, despite the technology disadvantage, won against protoss forces from time to time. The two eventually found the Fairy Tail mages walking somewhere with two people. One was Yukino, dressed in a soldier uniform and the other was colonel Arcadios. They read about him in a report from their infiltration units. He was in command of the kingdom's cherry blossom holy knight squadron, a name that Alarak laughed at, and was one of the kingdom's finest warriors. Curious, the two followed them and saw that Arcadios was taking the Fairy Tail mages to the royal palace, Mercurius. They all eventually went underground and saw that Arcadios led them to a massive gate. It was there that he revealed that the Grand Magic Games are a front to absorb the magic power from competing wizards in order to power this gate. He also revealed that he will open the gate on June 7th in order to go back in time and kill Zeref before he was in his full power. The two Protoss were surprised and impressed at this. The Terrans have developed a way to time travel and were using it to kill the most powerful dark wizard in this world so that all the disasters caused by people devoted to Zeref never happened in the first place. Artanis, suspicious, searched into Arcadios's mind and discovered this entire eclipse project was actually the work of princess Hisui and that he is the cover so that if this is revealed to the public blame will be on him instead of the princess. The two Protoss then heard footsteps coming. Quickly, the two got out of the way and observed as royal soldiers lead by Defense minister Darton arrest Arcadios and took Yukino and Lucy hostage. The two later followed the soldiers escort the remaining mages out and Darton told them that if Fairy Tail won the tournament, he will pardon them all and release Lucy back to them but only if the king allowed it. The two protoss leaders then left the area, knowing that there is nothing they can do. As soon as the two were safe from prying eyes the two decloaked.

"Well, it appears an opportunity presented itself to receive allies here." Said Alarak.

"What do you mean?" Asked Artanis.

"We rescue the Fairy Tail mage." Said Alarak, noticing that he had Artanis's attention he continued. "If we tell the Fairy Tail guild that we will rescue their friend and reveal to them everything that we know of the eclipse project, they will trust us and become our allies." Explained Alarak. Artanis went into thought. If they do this, they will gain a powerful ally and figure out more of this eclipse project that they don't know of. However, there were some troubles. Alarak's actions yesterday will most likely have the Fairy Tail guild be suspicious of them when they meet face to face. There was also the fact of their appearance and how that Fairy Tail has no knowledge on them. But this eclipse project, despite the intention, felt off to him. Time was a delicate thing and tampering it can have disastrous consequences. He needed to know more about it and he also wanted to rescue the Fairy Tail mage Lucy and Yukino. He sighed, knowing that his next few actions will determine the fate of his people with the Terrans of Earthland.

"Very well. I will send an avenger to notify the Fairy Tail guild to meet us in a safe location." Said Artanis. The two then warped back into their ships to ready some of their warriors for guard duty. Meanwhile, a lone figure in a cloak was walking to their location. Only to curse, that she missed them by a few seconds. She needed to find them and warn them. But for now, she needed to help the fairies. She lit up in tears at the memory of Fairy Tail. She missed her guild so much. She then left the area in tears.

* * *

 **Well. Looks like the Protoss will now reveal themselves to Fairy Tail. Let's hope the meeting will go well. And Karax and Talandar are revealed to be here as well. Does this mean that they get pairings as well? Maybe. Who knows? Anyway, the poll has nearly all the women have at least one vote. This means that if I close it like that, I have to make it a multi-pairing. Great. Just great. So, Read, Rate, and Review. See you all next time.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Chapter 7: First contact**

 **AN: (5/23/17) A change to a sentence was done to rectify an error.**

* * *

 **Crocus**

 **Local bar**

* * *

The Fairy Tail mages were discussing the events that happened some time ago that had Lucy arrested. To say that they were unhappy was an understatement. One of their own was taken against her will and they intended to rescue her. However, they needed to do so, discretely as it would be bad for Fairy Tail to openly attack the Royal family. It would cause irreparable damage to their public image. They were discussing their plan when a knock on the door caught their attention. Juvia opened the door and blinked in confusion at seeing no one there. She then looked down to see a piece of paper on the floor. She picked it up and saw that there was writing in it. She read it and gasped, catching everyone's attention.

"What is it, Juvia?" Asked Gray. She then turned to everyone and showed them the paper so they can see what was on it. They all walked closer to read the paper and they all gasped.

"If you want to know why your friend was kidnaped and more about the eclipse project, meet us at the mountains. One of our warriors will help you find us if you accept this deal." Was what the note said. They all went into thought. This was an opportunity to know more about why Lucy was kidnapped and to know more about the eclipse project but they had no knowledge on who sent it. It could have been the royal family trying to catch them off guard and imprisoned them all. Or it was the dark guild that Alarak was in. They were all conflicted.

"Master, what should we do?" Asked Erza.

"Hmm…This group could be the dark guild Alarak was in. They could be trying to manipulate us to attacking the royal family or it could be something else." Said Makarov.

"Well, I say we go and meet these guys. And if they try something we'll burn them to ashes!" Yelled Natsu, punching his fists together. The like-minded Fairy Tail mages nodded in agreement.

"Hold on, flame brain. This could be a trap." Said Gray. "They could just be luring us in with false information and ambush us." Some of the more cautious guild mates nodded their head in agreement. Seeing that his children were conflicted, Makarov ordered a vote to be done to decide in acting on this messages information. Most raised their hands and it was a tie. The only one to not vote was Wendy, who as conflicted on who to side with. On one hand, Wendy was scared of this group but on the other she wanted to rescue Lucy and this group may help them. After some time to think, Wendy voted to go to this mysterious group.

"Very well. We will seek out this group." Said Makarov. The ones that voted against this groaned or just shook their heads. It was then that they all heard a voice in their head.

"Very good." Said the voice. They all widened their eyes at hearing the voice. It wasn't Warren's voice and he was the only telepath they had. They all got ready for a fight when the voice came again. "Do not fear. I come in peace." Said the voice. They all then turned toward where the voice was coming from and sure enough in front of the entrance a figure began to appear. They all then widened their eyes upon seeing it as it was something they never saw in their lives before. It stood around three meters tall, two glowing eyes, digitigrade legs, semi-permeable skin covered in scales, four digits on its hands and toes, broad chests and shoulders, narrow waist with slim midsections, and extending back from the crown of its head were several short tendril protruding out. Looking at what it wore, they have never seen such extravagant armor in such shape or form. It also had no visible mouth, ears, and nose. Carla shook in fear as she recognized it as being one of the beings from her vision. Laxus then instantly got cautious as this being was similar to Alarak. It then raised its hands in the air. "Have no fear. I am avenger Karanix. I was sent here by my leader to take you to the meeting place." They all then got out of their fighting stances but were still wary of this being.

"You're here to take us to your leader?" Asked Erza in her scary voice, walking right up to the avenger. She tried to be intimidating but the being showed no visible signs of fear, surprising everyone and impressing Erza, and its height helped it as well as it towered over Erza.

"Yes. Follow me and I will take you there." Said Karanix, getting out of the way to allow them to leave. After sometime of looking at it, Erza then walked out a motioned Karanix to lead the way. Karanix then got out and lead the way to the meeting point. Soon, everyone then followed the two. After sometime of walking the Fairies and their escort were at the mountains. Karanix stopped and everyone stopped. Everyone then looked at Karanix in suspicion as there was no one here. Gray was about to attack Karanix when suddenly more beings similar to Karanix appear before them in either brief flashes of light or shadows along with some large mechanical lifeforms with big guns and smaller four-legged machines that either had a face on them or were just four legs connected to a pill-shaped middle. All in all, there were fifties of them. They all either had dark clothes that covered their body with green glowing eyes or gold armor with blue lights and had blue glowing eyes. They then saw Karanix join them and another being with more extravagant armor walked up to them. It stopped before Makarov, who looked at it in anticipation and suspicion. It then talked.

"Greetings Fairy Tail. I am hierarch Artanis. Leader of the Daelaam." Said the being. The Fairy Tail mages jaws dropped, eyes widened, and they looked in shock at the being.

"No way!" Yelled Natsu, pointing to the being in front of them.

"What the!" Yelled Gray, who then stripped in front of everyone. Much to the confusion and disgust of the mysterious beings.

"Have I been drinking too much?" Asked Cana, looking at her beer bottle before drinking it.

Laxus, Makarov, and the thunder legion had the best reaction. They all had either their eyes bulge out of their sockets, jaws to the floor, fainted, or all three as they looked at the being.

"Why the hell does it sound like me!?" Thought Laxus as he looked at the being.

* * *

 **Artanis's POV**

* * *

Artanis should have seen this coming. He, along with everyone else, was surprised that Laxus sounded like him. Nevertheless, he should have seen this happening along with the Fairy Tail guild as well.

"I know that I sound similar to Laxus but we have more urgent matters to attend to. Your friend and the eclipse project." Said Artanis. After everyone recovered, they all then began to listen.

"Yes. What do you know about it?" Asked Makarov, still in shock that this Artanis sounded like his grandson.

"Yeah. And what does Lucy have to do with it!?" Yelled Natsu, getting right up to Artanis's face. Artanis's guards then readied themselves to defend their hierarch. Seeing this, the Fairy Tail mages got ready to fight as well. Makarov and Artanis then told them to stand down. After that, Artanis then answered.

"Calm down, dragon slayer. I wish to help you rescue your friend but only if we all cooperate." Said Artanis. Erza, sick of Natsu's behavior, dragged him back and threaten him with a death glare. He quickly shut up. Artanis looked at the two before continuing. "Your friend is a celestial wizard and that she has the majority of the zodiac keys, correct?" Asked Artanis. The Fairies nodded in conformation. "In order for the eclipse project to work it requires all the zodiac keys. They have captured your friend in order to use the eclipse." Said Artanis. The fairies took this information in. So, the eclipse project can only work if one has all twelve keys to operate it. That would explain why they took Yukino and Lucy as they had all twelve keys and why they took them. Lucy would have probably not go along with the plan of going back in time to kill Zeref as it would have irreparable damage to the present.

"So what is your stake in this? Why give us this information?" Asked Erza. She was suspicious that someone would give such information without a price.

"The same as you all. The Daelaam are a people of honor and justice. We dislike any injustice and will do whatever we can to protect the weak and helpless." Said Artanis. "Your friend is kidnapped for a plot that can do irreparable damage to the future if it is succeeded and we wish to prevent that. I cannot send in all my forces as it will spread fear to the people of Fiore toward my people but I can offer assistance by sending some warriors with you to assist you saving your friend. If you will accept it." Said Artanis. The fairies look at each other, unsure of accepting Artanis's offer. He was offering assistance on getting their friend back and stopping this eclipse project but this was their mess. They shouldn't have others help them when they have something to lose. In Artanis's case, it appears to be friendly relations with the royal family and potentially all of Fiore. Makarov had his eyes closed and was in thought, thinking on accepting or not. Eventually, he opened his eyes and made his decision.

"If you are willing to help us, then I do not see any reason for you to not join us." Said Makarov, causing the fairies to look at him surprise.

"Master. Are you sure about this?" Asked Erza.

"If Artanis is offering support, then I will accept it. If only because we need all the help we can get to rescue Lucy." Said Makarov.

"Then it is decided. I will accompany you to assist you in rescuing Lucy." Said Artanis. Some of his guards were about to disagree when Artanis raised his hand. "I will accompany them as they will need a strong team to do this mission." Explained Artanis. "Before we discuss the plan, however, I need to reveal something to you all." Said Artanis. The fairies looked at Artanis, wondering what he had to show. Artanis then waved his hand and sure enough thirty more of these Daelaam appeared but they didn't have the same color scheme as the others. All of them had jet black armor and red lights and had red glowing eyes and extremely pale skin. They all followed a more armored and intimidating figure with a blade on his forearms. Laxus instantly recognized the figure and growled.

"You!" Yelled Laxus. He then charged at Alarak but Alarak telekinetically lifted him up and pushed him to the thunder legion, knocking them all over. The other fairies were about to attack when Artanis stopped them.

"Stop! He is with me." Said Artanis. They all stopped and looked at Artanis, suspicion and anger evident in their faces. "This is Alarak, high lord of the Tal'darim." Said Artanis.

 **"*chuckles*** For creatures with short life spans, you Terrans are always so eager to die and attack your betters." Said Alarak, amused at Laxus's attempted attack on him. The fairies all glared at Alarak for his comment but there was also confusion on why he called them Terrans.

"I know you all have heard about Alarak from Laxus but rest assured he will help us rescue your friend." Said Artanis.

"Help? That's bullshit right there." Said Laxus as he got up. "This guy won't help us."

"Oh-ho! The Terrans is suddenly a genius now." Said Alarak, making Laxus and the thunder legion glare at Alarak for his disrespect on Laxus. "You are correct though. I am only helping because I want amusement. Your tournament is getting boring. There is no blood spilling. No killing. What is the point in a tournament if you can't kill your opponent?" Asked Alarak. Everyone then glared even more at Alarak. They were really starting to dislike him. "*laughs* I care little for your opinion on me. I will help you no matter what." Said Alarak.

"No way! I'm not working with you!" Said Laxus, getting right up to Alarak. Alarak looked down at Laxus in amusement before kicking him to the thunder legion, knocking them all down again. Everyone was about to attack them when Artanis yelled.

"ENOUGH!" Yelled Artanis, surprising everyone. "Alarak! You will cease attacking our allies and be more cooperative. Do I make myself clear?" Asked Artanis. Alarak laughed before nodded. Artanis then sighed before turning toward the fairies. "Apologies for Alarak. He is a handful at times." Said Artanis. "Now, what is the plan of action toward rescuing your friend?" Makarov looked at Artanis before discussing the plan.

* * *

 **The Next day**

 **Jail cell in palace**

 **Lucy POV**

* * *

Lucy and Yukino were sleeping when they heard voices. They looked and saw Natsu, Wendy, the exceeds, Mirajane, and two large alien-like beings with them. One was wearing gold armor with blue highlights and the other had black armor with red highlights. They both had glowing eyes that matched the highlights for their respective armors. What shocked both of them, was that the two beings had no mouths, ears, or noses. Nevertheless, Lucy was happy that they came to save them.

"You guys came! Thank god!" Yelled Lucy before they told her to keep quiet.

"I heard that blond Terrans were stupid but I never believed it." Said the dark armored being, remembering a certain ghost that destroyed a portion of the death fleet during the Defender of Man crisis. Lucy frowned at him in anger before turning to see Natsu destroying the prison bars. She then began to change into the clothed that Mirajane brought with them in case she needed them. A girl had to dress as best they could. The dark armored being then groaned.

"What is the point of changing now? The guards can come here and raise the alarm. We should leave now." Said the dark armored being. "Not waste time changing clothes do nothing but be an eye sore."

"Excuse me, but if I'm going out I going to do so in my best." Said Lucy, not liking this guys at all. "Who is these two anyway?" Asked Lucy.

"Oh, the gold one is Artanis and the black one is Alarak." Said Natsu, nonchalantly.

"Where did you find them?" Asked Lucy as she put her top on.

"We didn't. They found us. They helped us rescue you." Said Mirajane.

"Well, I would say thanks if Alarak would be nicer. Is he always this rude?" Asked Lucy.

"You have no idea." Said Carla, remembering all the times that Alarak insulted them on the way here. Mirajane, Pantherlily, and Natsu were ready to beat him to submission if Alarak hadn't knocked them out the first time they tried it.

"Now is not the time for that." Said Artanis. "Where are your keys?"

"Those goons took them." Said Lucy. "I swear when I find the one responsible I will send them to a one way ticket to the spirit wor…" She couldn't say more as the ground began to shake and soon the floor collapsed below them. They all then fell down the newly created hole.

"Can't a girl get dress in peace!?" Yelled Lucy as she put her last boot on.

"It appears not, Terran." Said Alarak, who was surprisingly calm. They all then fell with Natsu on the bottom and the Protoss leaders on the top.

"Heavy." Complained Natsu. They all then got off of him and looked around. They were now in an underground cave. They looked to see an entrance flanked by two statues.

"What is this place?" Questioned Artanis.

"A dungeon. Obviously." Said Alarak.

They all then heard a voice and saw a monitor appear out of nowhere and in it was princess Hisui.

"I hope you'll all enjoy this last bit of freedom because this will be the place you'll all die." Said Hisui.

"Oh-ho. You believe this place can hold Alarak, high lord of the Tal'darim." Said Alarak.

"I don't believe it. Where you are now is the Abyss palace. It's the last place where criminals experience freedom before dying. To this day, no one has escaped it. I seriously doubt that any of you can escape it. Especially you two, Artanis of the Daelaam and Alarak of the Tal'darim." Said Hisui, before cutting off the transmission. Artanis was in shock that Hisui knew of him without him announcing who he is. How did she know about him? Only Fairy Tail and Kagura knew about him and he made sure that no one was around to hear or see him converse with Fairy Tail last night. For now, though, he had to concentrate on getting out. While he could order the Spear of Adun to warp them inside the massive ship, he didn't want that. The Fairies will most likely respond out of fear at seeing the Spear of Adun and the massive fleet he had. They will have to do this the hard way.

"Let us find an exit. There must be at least one here." Said Artanis, before going to the only way out of the area they were in. The others soon following.

"So how did you all meet?" Asked Lucy.

"It is a simple story that your Terran mind can only comprehend if we make it as basic as possible." Said Alarak.

"ARE YOU SAYING I'M DUMB!?" Yelled Lucy.

"Yes." Said Alarak. Artanis then sighed. This will be a long trek.

* * *

 **For all you who don't know, Laxus's English voice actor is the same for Artanis's voice actor. Yup. Their both voiced by Patrick Seitz**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Hungry wolf knights

* * *

Abyss Palace

* * *

Now Lucy understood just how much of a jerk Alarak is. The guy insults and mocks her and her guild mates whenever he had the chance or when they talk to him. She wondered why Mirajane and Natsu weren't trying to attack him or reprimand him for his behavior but Wendy told her that Alarak knock them both out along with Gray and Elfman when they tried to fight him or berate him. So, they had to deal with him and his insults for now. Artanis, however, she liked because he was far nicer and modest than Alarak. The fact that he sounded like Laxus shocked her and first but she shook it off and wondered why Laxus isn't like him. After some time of trying find an exit the found an opening and used it. The problem with it is she got stuck because of her chest. Seeing this, Alarak laughed behind her.

"*Laughs* Oh. What is the matter Terran? Are your glands in the way of freedom or do you want to stay like that forever?" Asked Alarak. She turned to glare at him.

"Well sorry that my chest got in the way!" Said Lucy as she tried to get free. Seeing it failing, Alarak and Artanis blinked out of the way and were out of the opening. Everyone's eyes widened at this. "Can you do the same for me?" Asked Lucy.

"I'm afraid that it only works on the caster, Miss Lucy." Said Artanis. "We will have to force you out the hard way." Said Artanis.

"And I have the solution." Said Alarak, raising his hand and gathering psionic energy in it. Lucy sweat dropped and was about to beg him to stop when Artanis stopped him. Natsu glared at Alarak before helping Lucy out. After some pulling they achieved their goal. Unfortunately, Lucy's bottom landed on top of Natsu's face. Alarak laughed at this and Yukino blushed heavily.

"Oh ho. Do Terrans court by having their females land on their males with their bottoms?" Asked Alarak, mockingly. Natsu and Lucy glared at Alarak with blushes on their faces.

"It's not like that!" Yelled Lucy, getting off of Natsu. She was about to defend her actions when Wendy said that someone was hurt, getting their attentions. They all saw that the person was colonel Arcadios and that he was badly injured.

"What happened to him?" Asked Artanis as Wendy went to heal him.

"Did he fall in with the rest of us?" Asked Lucy.

"If he did he would have been with us in the first place." Said Alarak, trolling her. "He must have been sent here sometime before us."

It was then that Arcadios looked at them.

"Run away. Now." Said Arcadios, weakly. They all looked at him in confusion when Artanis grabbed Wendy and Arcadios and jumped them to a safe distance with Alarak doing the same except with no one in tow. The others then dodged an attack that corroded the ground they were on. The attack was soon followed up with another attack that sent them flying. Artanis looked to see that it was two Terrans responsible for the attacks. One had a massive, mildly squared head is almost completely bald, bearing only a long, wild and spiky mane of dark hair on top of it, reaching down to his middle back; each of his large, perennially wide-open round dark eyes bears six prominent eyelashes, three above and three below it, and he possesses thick lips which are almost always kept in a smile. He had an open short-sleeve shirt and loose pants. The other had blond hair in a spiked pompadour hairstyle. He wore bandages around his wrists and wore a light-colored shirt with frills at the neck under a dark vest covered by a sleeveless jacket with the words "ACID RULE" written on the back with dark trousers and dark shoes and he had a soda bottle clutched between his teeth.

"Are you all alright?" Asked Artanis to the ones that failed to dodge.

"Does it look like we're alright?" Asked Lucy sarcastically.

"Who are these guys?" Asked Natsu, getting up. They all then heard a noise and saw several plants sprout up from the ground before a much larger flytrap plant appeared. They also saw purple pieces of paper flying around them. The large plant opened up to reveal a pink-haired woman with an ample bust and a curvaceous figure. She wore a big puffy cap on her head with a dark strip at the front with six light dots presenting a "V" pattern and a matching brim that covers her eyes. On the left side of her head, there was a rose in her hair. She a long coat with petal-like edges on the tails. Her coat is also adorned with dots running across the edges and is tied with a ribbon-like belt. She also seems to be wearing arm sleeves, a ruffled mini-skirt, and long boots that reaches to her calves, also adorned with dots and petal-like edges. A flower bracelet can be seen on her right wrist. The papers around them soon came together in the form of a body and after a flash of light a woman came out of the papers. She was relatively tall for Terran standards and thin with a light complexion. Her long, black hair was tied back into two distinct sections; the first being two thin strands that are plaited and looped around to form hoops that sit on either side of her neck, whilst the rest was tied back with bows into two pigtails that flow in thick locks around her body, where they stop just above the ground, the ends curling. The fringe was left out, allowing her long bangs to fall over her face and into her eyes, save for a single strand which curls upwards away from her head. Her chosen attire was a simple purple dress which wraps around her body as a robe with the front left open, allowing her legs to be in full sight, whilst the back is much longer, being tailored to fall into two points. The edge of the cloth is colored gold, and the entire outfit is kept around her through the use of a thick red cloth belt which is tied just below her sizeable breasts and into a huge bow that sits at her back. On her feet, she sports a pair of plain red platform sandals.

"Get out of here. You're in danger." Said Arcadios as struggled to get up.

"Why old man? You know these guys?" Asked Natsu.

"If he didn't, he wouldn't have told us to leave." Said Alarak.

"They're an independent squad that serve the kingdom from the shadows. They execute anyone the king or princess order them to. They're the reason no one has escaped this place alive." Explained Arcadios.

"So they are similar to the blood hunters then. I like this group already." Said Alarak.

"By the authority granted to us by the Fiore Kingdom we, the hungry wolf knights, will carry out your sentence." Said a man cloaked in upper body armor complete with a skull mask and a black hooded cloak with dual scythes on his back. Natsu looked at them before bursting out laughing.

"What's the problem, Natsu?" Asked Lucy.

"C'mon, look at these guys!" Said Natsu, pointing to the hungry wolf knights.

"I get what you're saying." Said Lucy, understanding why Natsu was laughing.

"None of their outfits look knightly." Said Wendy, agreeing with Natsu.

"Especially him!" Said Natsu, pointing at the weird looking Terran.

"Hey." Said the man, insulted.

"He brought up a point. You expect a group of knights to wear the same uniforms." Said Mirajane.

"Where's your suits of armor and helmets?" Asked Wendy.

"Dressing up in armor just isn't our style, kid. We're a secret squad, so we have to stay under cover. If we wore armor we won't be secret no more." Explained the weird Terran with flag poles.

"I don't care about your fashion sense. I want to punch your teeth in." Said Natsu.

"What the hell!?" Yelled Lucy.

"That is not an option, Natsu. We need to focus on getting out of here alive." Said Artanis.

"If you are hoping to get out of here alive, then you will have to fight us." Said the leader.

"Looks like it settled. One brawl and we're out of here." Said Natsu.

"Let's leave on of them conscious so we can ask for directions." Said Mirajane, agreeing to fight. Artanis then sighed. He probably should have mentioned that he knew of the location of the exit because he read into the minds of the hungry wolf knights but it appears they will have to fight. Artanis then turned to Alarak.

"Remember your promise, Alarak. You will not kill any of the Fiore soldiers and that includes them." Said Artanis to Alarak through a link of telepathy that only they can hear.

"I won't guarantee that the wounds will not be permanent." Said Alarak, igniting his bane blades. Artanis then sighed and ignited his psi-blades as well. Pantherlily participated in the fight as well, transforming into his battle form. The only ones that won't be fighting was Lucy, Yukino, Arcadios, Happy, and Carla since they had no means of fighting.

"We'll start things off." Said the black-haired Terran, walking to them with the pink-haired one.

"They beat us to it again." Said the massive Terran.

"That's no fair. I wanted to brawl." Said the weird looking Terran.

"What just the two of you!?" Yelled Natsu. "Fine! I'll take both of you on!"

"Let's do it, Cosmos." Said the black-haired Terran, holding a piece of paper between her fingers.

"We'll dazzle them with our beautiful dance, Kamika." Said the pink-haired Terran now known as Cosmos. Kamika then blew the paper and it transformed it turned into multiple red colored papers.

"Paper blizzard: Red dance!" Yelled out Kamika.

"Sorry, sweet heart but paper magic won't work since I can roast them all!" Yelled Natsu as he tried to burn the papers but they didn't burn away. Instead, the fire followed them and turned into fists.

"Sorry, but my papers are infused with fire spirits, making them unburnable." Said Kamika.

"Then, I'll just eat them! Come and get into my belly yo…" Natsu couldn't say more as the papers then pummeled him to the ground. They then exploded into a spiral of fire, engulfing Natsu. Wendy then blew them away with her Sky dragon roar. "Okay, we'll do a team up." Said Natsu.

"Don't forget about us." Said Pantherlily.

"Hold on. Let's let Natsu and Wendy fight for now. We'll analyze their battle tactics for now." Said Mirajane, annoying Alarak.

"I refuse to sit back and watch when I desire to fight myself. If you attempt to stop me Terran, I will gut you myself." Said Alarak, making the fairies and Artanis to look at him in anger.

"You want to try it out?" Asked Mirajane, giving him a scary look.

"Oh ho. I will be more than happy to oblige." Said Alarak, glaring back in return. The two were snapped out of staring contest when they heard Wendy cry out. They all turned to see her and Natsu tied up by prickly vines and were about to be eaten by giant man-eating plants.

"We have to help them!" Yelled Artanis. They all then went to help them but Natsu told them to stop. "But why?! You need assistance!" Yelled Artanis.

"We can take of ourselves! Ready Wendy!?" Yelled Natsu. Wendy nodded her head and Natsu used his fire dragon roar to burn the vines holding Wendy while Wendy did the same with Natsu, using her magic to blow the vines away. They then turned their attention to Kamika and Cosmos, who then dodged their attacks.

"All right!" Yelled Lucy.

"Don't get overconfident. There are still three more in their reserves." Said Artanis.

"He's right. They may be turning the tides now but the Hungry wolf knights are just getting started." Said Arcadios. It was then, seeing that things were getting interesting, the leader of the hungry wolf knights decided to bring in reinforcements.

"Uosuke. Neppa." Said the leader. The two understood and went into the fray. Seeing this, Mirajane, Pantherlily, Artanis, and Alarak joined in.

"Cheaters! It was two on two! Where's your sense of honor?" Said Lucy, seeing the hungry wolf knights sending more of themselves into the fray.

"We never agreed to any formal terms." Said Kamika.

"Our only goal is to execute you lawbreakers." Said Cosmos.

"We was only testing the waters is all." Said Uosuke.

"And besides, we were the ones to attempt to send reinforcements first. So, your point is invalid Terran." Said Alarak. "Or are you just that dimwitted." Lucy glared at Alarak along with her guild mates. They were getting sick and tired of his insults.

"Oh my. Trouble in the ranks?" Asked Kamika, noticing the rift between the lawbreakers and the…Protoss. Yes. That was what the princess called the two weird looking beings. The hungry wolf knights never seen these things in their career as executioners and it will be a pleasure to eliminate something new. But it also meant they had to be careful because these Protoss may have abilities they don't know about. They have some knowledge on their capabilities thanks to the princess but it wasn't much to work with.

"It appears that way, Kamika. But let's focus on the two lawbreakers there." Said Cosmos, pointing at Natsu and Wendy who were floating in midair. "And let's start with the loud and ugly one." Said Cosmos, pointing at Natsu.

"Hey!" Yelled Natsu before being hit with a plant that knocked him to the ground. Wendy was then forced back to the ground. Kamika then put up a dome of sliver paper around her. Wendy then blasted it away but it was a ploy so Cosmos can place a flytrap plant under Wendy, which soon consumed her whole.

"Cover me!" Yelled Mirajane. Pantherlily then covered her when Neppa tried to attack her and they started to brawl. Alarak and Artanis moved with her and destroyed the plant that consumed Wendy.

"Thanks guys." Said Wendy.

"Don't mention it." Said Mira, who turned into her Sitri form.

"You would have no needed our assistance if you were alert to your enemy." Said Alarak. "Next time, you may not be so fortunate." Mira then glared at Alarak, wanting to beat to submission but they needed him right now. Kamika then attacked them with purple papers that stuck on them and immobilized them.

"What is this?" Asked Artanis, trying to move but failing.

"It's my purple dance. They contain the souls of confinement." Explained Kamika. Cosmos then followed it up with a giant plant that began to suck them all up. Wendy, acting quickly, used her magic to free them from the papers. Natsu, Pantherlily, and Mira then attacked the plant. Unfortunately, their combined power caused a massive explosion that scattered them all. After falling some floors, Artanis then groaned and held his head. Must the fairies be so destructive? He made a mental note to not ask them to join on a mission that required stealth. He then heard a groan coming from below him. He looked down to see that he was on top of Wendy.

"My apologies, Wendy." Said Artanis as he got off her. "Are you alright?" Asked Artanis as he held his hand to her.

"I'm okay." Said Wendy, taking his hand. "But we got to find the others." Artanis nodded in agreement and the two began to search for their comrades. "I can't sense any of them." Said Wendy.

"Neither can I." Said Artanis. The two then heard a rumble and looked ahead to see a plant appear out of nowhere and out came from inside it was Cosmos.

"Exquisite." Said Cosmos. "Perhaps, delicately beautiful is a better way to describe you." Said Cosmos, referring to Wendy. "But still you both must die." Said Cosmos.

"If you think you can defeat the both of us by yourself, you are sadly mistaken." Said Artanis, getting in front of Wendy.

"Oh really." Said Cosmos. "You know, when the princess gave us the description of your kind and ordered us to be on guard when encountering you I was skeptical. But now, after seeing you for the first time, I'm intrigued. I never saw anything like you before and it will be sweet executing you." Said Cosmos.

"We shall see." Said Artanis, igniting his psi-blades.

* * *

Different location

Alarak's POV

* * *

"Oh why am I paired with you?" Asked Alarak as he and Mirajane searched for their allies. "I will be fine with the fool and the cat but not you. You're too sweet and kind for my taste." Mira then glared at him with her scariest glare but to her surprise, Alarak wasn't fazed at all. In fact, he merely chuckled. "If you wish to fight me then do so now." Said Alarak, igniting his bane blades and pointing one of them at her throat. Mirajane wanted nothing more than to put Alarak in his place but she needed his help right now. So, no matter how much she disliked it, she will have to put up with him. They then heard a noise behind them. They turned to see Kamika was there.

"Well, well. I knew that there was discord between you lawbreakers but I never thought it was to the point of drawing blades." Said Kamika.

"We're fine." Said Mirajane in a cheery voice that made Alarak groan in annoyance. "Do you know where my friends are?" Asked Mira.

"*Growls* Unless you were always this idiotic, you must have lost your mind when that explosion hit you if you are asking our enemy for the location of our allies." Said Alarak. Mira then gave him a smile that was basically an "I'm going to kill you later" smile. Kamika looked in amusement as the two bickered. She heard that the black and red versions of these Protoss were the more violent and aggressive ones of their kind but she never thought it was to the point of insulting and openly confronting their allies. It would make her job so such easier if the two fought each other right now. Seeing an opening, she attacked them both with her paper blizzard: Red Dance. Alarak got away by teleporting himself away but Mira didn't, resulting in her taking the brunt of the attack.

"I know you. You're Mirajane, the she devil." Said Kamika. "You used to be a very powerful S-class wizard but I find that hard to believe. So weak and emotional. What happened to you?" Asked Kamika since she read the file on Mirajane and it said that she was a powerful wizard.

"I ask myself that same question since I met this Terran." Said Alarak, not bothering to help out. He read about her and her skills. So, it disappointed him with what she was now.

"Me. What about you?" Asked Mirajane, ignoring Alarak's comment on her. "Your magic is so pretty and colorful. Why do you use it just to kill people?" The question made Alarak roll his eyes.

"Are you giving me a lecture?" Asked Kamika, incredulously. "That's ridiculous coming from a criminal but I'll give you both the prettiest and colorful death." Said Kamika with a cruel smirk.

"I like this woman. She understands." Said Alarak, seeing her once again attack Mirajane. Meanwhile Wendy was dodging Cosmos's plants while Artanis was cutting them to pieces.

"I am Cosmos. What are your names?" Asked Cosmos.

"I'm Wendy Marvell." Said Wendy.

"And I am Artanis." Said Artanis.

"What lovely names. I'll remember them fondly but like I said you both must die." Said Cosmos.

"That's what you think. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard. That means that you can't beat me or my friends." Declared Wendy. "And Artanis is a…is a…" Wendy stopped as she couldn't figure out what to say about Artanis.

"*Sighs* And I am the hierarch of the Daelaam." Said Artanis. "Before we continue to fight, I ask you to stop and allow us safe passage. We are only here to rescue our ally who has been wrongly imprisoned."

"*Laughs* Sorry, but I'm a hungry wolf that will do her duty for the kingdom. You two and all your friends will die." Declared Cosmos. Soon after declaring her intentions, trees began pop out of the ground and surrounded them all.

"What are those?" Asked Wendy.

"I do not know but keep your guard up Wendy! This Cosmos has many surprises for us." Said Artanis. Soon, pickled plums appeared on the branches of the trees, making Wendy gasp. "What is it Wendy?" Asked Artanis.

"I'm afraid of sour things." Said Wendy, shaking. Artanis looked at her incredulously. She was afraid of simple fruit?

"Sorry to disappoint you two but these aren't pickled plums." Said Cosmos on top of one of the branches. "These are my special magic fruit. Now eat up!" Said Cosmos, the magic fruit then launched themselves at them. Wendy soon ran off to avoid the plants. Artanis simply took them, allowing his shields to protect him. "Oh my. So, the princess was right. You Protoss have an invisible barrier to protect you. I wonder what it would take to break it." Said Cosmos before turning to Wendy. "Running away, child? Are you too sweet to eat sour things?" Asked Cosmos, making Wendy stop.

"No." Said Wendy, turning toward Cosmos while shaking. "I love sour things." Artanis shook his head at that statement. He and Cosmos and clearly see that she was afraid of sour things.

"Oh really. Mine too." Said Cosmos. "The sensation they give off in the tongue is so divine. I love the sensation so much that I had my magic fruit be ten times sourer." Said Cosmos, eating of her fruit.

"Ten times!?" Asked Wendy in shock and fear. Artanis then sighed as Cosmos told Wendy to eat one of the fruit with Wendy shaking in fear of eating one. He wondered if this was what Fairy Tail has to deal with on a daily basis.

"*Laughs* That anguished expression on your face is simply delightful." Said Cosmos as she saw Wendy cringing in a pile of magic fruit. "I'll be kind and give you a lovely demise me sweet." Said Cosmos as more plants sprouted out of the ground. "Buried in your hated food, you'll drift off to sleep amid pain and suffering. Let's death warm embrace gently lull you to eternal sleep." Said Cosmos.

"What?! No please." Said Wendy before the plants began to spew out gas.

"Now, close your eyes and go to sleep." Said Cosmos as Wendy began to feel drowsy. "Makura Kamura. This is a spell of death. Once you fall asleep, you're never awaken. Sweet dreams. *Laughs*" Said Cosmos, seeing Wendy fall asleep. She turned and was shocked that Artanis was still up and kicking. "What!? How are you still awake?!" Yelled Cosmos, getting angry that someone was resisting her spell. She then noticed that his head was now fully encased in a helmet with a slit visor. "Ah." Said Cosmos, understanding. "That helmet protects you from gas attacks. Is that correct?" Asked Cosmos. After getting a nod she replied. "Then, I just have to destroy it and you'll be gone." Said Cosmos before sending out her vines towards Artanis's head. Artanis then sliced through them effortlessly. Artanis was relieved that he made the arrangements to have his head gear to become a fully insulated helmet if necessary. With the ever growing use of gas base attacks and more battles being taking place in space, he and several executors made the decision to make insulated helmets and armor in case of gas attacks or when they need to fight in the vacuum of space. It took a long time to develop but in the end it was worth it as it was now standard issue to all Protoss warriors should the need arise. And it was a good thing too because with Wendy out of commission he will have to do it himself. He knew that he can use his psionics to blow away the gas and heal Wendy but he refused to do so because she was just a little girl that should not be exposed to this kind of thing. He brought it up with them when they discussed on who should go to recuse Lucy but the Fairy Tail mages were stubborn and Wendy wanted to go as well. So, he reluctantly allowed it and that left him to fight Cosmos on his own. Artanis then went up close and slashed at Cosmos, who dodged the attack and countered with summoning her flytraps and having them shoot at him. His shields defended him from the barrage and Artanis then shoot a psionic bolt, low powered, at her in blinding speed. The attack hit her and caused her to smash to the wall. She coughed out blood and glared at him. She then summoned a fly trap to consume him whole. Artanis then used his lighting dash to get away from the plant and to a safe distance. "Just stay still!" Yelled Cosmos, getting angry. She then fired several vines at him.

"I will not." Said Artanis as he sliced the vines away. He then dashed toward her and placed his left psi-blade near her throat. "Surrender. You have lost." Said Artanis. Cosmos growled in anger, seeing that she was trapped. She was about to summon a plant to attack him from behind when she heard a loud bang and felt a stinging pain on her side. She gasped and looked to see both of her sides bleeding out. Artanis widened his eyes as Cosmos fell, holding her sides. He used his psionics to detect the presence of the shooter and saw the culprit. He then dashed to where the shooter was and slashed everywhere. A body then fell while decloaking with its head falling to the floor. A result of a psi blade cutting through the neck. Artanis recognized the body and the high tech armor it wore. It was a Terran Spectre. Numerous implications went through his mind. What was this ghost doing here in this world?! Was he here before them? Was he part of Amon's followers? Was there more? Artanis stopped when he heard Cosmos's dying moans. He dashed quickly and saw that Cosmos was in a puddle of her own blood that was slowly getting bigger and was desperately trying to stop more blood from flowing out. She looked at him and glared.

"*Coughs out blood*Are you here to see me die?" Asked Cosmos as blood dipped from her mouth.

"No. I am here to save you." Said Artanis. He then used his Astral wind ability to heal her. She gasped in surprise. She looked to see that her sides were perfectly healed. She got up and looked in disgust that her clothes were drenched in her blood. She then looked at him.

"Why did you save me?" Asked Cosmos. No one will save their enemy without some motive.

"Because you are not my enemy. I came here to save my compatriot. That is all. And you were dying before my eyes. I could not allow you to die." Said Artanis. "Now, I ask you again. Will you spare us this day and allow us to leave?" Asked Artanis. Cosmos looked conflicted. Her loyalty to the kingdom and her want to repay Artanis were conflicting against each other. She sighed before recalling Makura Kamura, allowing Wendy to slowly awaken.

"Just this once." Said Cosmos. "And if you break the kingdom's laws, I will execute you." Warned Cosmos.

"I understand. Will your allies do the same?" Asked Artanis. After getting a shake from her, he sighed. "Then it appears we are still enemies." Said Artanis.

"Looks that way." Said Cosmos, readying an attack in case Artanis attacked. Neither of them got the chance to talk more as Wendy woke up and attacked Cosmos with her Sky dragon roar, causing Cosmos to smash through several walls and crash into her other teammate, all of them knocked out. Artanis sighed at this before meeting up with the others, watching Natsu as he threatened the leader to show them the exit or else. He and Wendy noticed with worry that Alarak was holding Kamika and Mirajane, who was holding her stomach that was bleeding out. Wendy rushed over to them as Alarak roughly put Mirajane down so Wendy can heal Mirajane and Kamika next to the rest of the hungry wolf knights. Artanis then walked up to Alarak and said something in a physic link.

"I encountered a Terran ghost." Said Artanis.

"Really? The spirit or the psionic one?" Asked Alarak, already knowing the answer. The glare he got from Artanis amused him. "Was the Terran part of Amon's forces?"

"I do not know but I believe so. We must be cautious. There may be more." Said Artanis as Natsu finished with his interrogation. The two Protoss leaders then followed the Fairy Tail wizards to the exit. Along the way, Wendy walked up to Artanis and asked him a question.

"Why was Cosmos so bloody when I woke up?" Asked Wendy. When she woke up she saw Cosmos readying an attack against Artanis so she attacked her before she could do so. Before she did, however, she noticed that Cosmos had blood everywhere and was standing on a puddle of blood. She was concerned that one of them was attacked.

"She was hurt by an assailant. I stopped them before they could escape. After that I healed Cosmos and she recalled the spell on you." Explained Artanis.

"Really?" Asked Wendy. She never thought that Cosmos had a sense of honor. "So, where is this assailant?" Asked Wendy.

"He…got assistance from another of his kind and escaped." Lied Artanis. He knew that the Fairies disapproved of killing and would most likely see him as a murderer if they discover that he kills. He knew that he will have to reveal that someday but for now it will remain a secret. Wendy bought it and went up to Mirajane who was holding her stomach in pain.

"Is that what really happened?" Asked Alarak in a physic link.

"*Sighs* No, but I could not reveal that I killed him to them yet." Said Artanis.

"Very well but they will know it one day." Said Alarak. Artanis nodded in conformation. As they were walking Artanis asked Alarak something.

"So did you fight with one of the executioners?" Asked Artanis.

"Yes. The one that uses paper to attack." Said Alarak.

"How did it go?" Asked Artanis.

"Oh. Want to know of my victory?" Asked Alarak. "I never knew you to listen to stories from a Tal'darim." Said Alarak. "But I will tell you regardless." Said Alarak as he told his story.

* * *

Sometime ago.

* * *

"This is boring to watch." Thought Alarak as Mirajane was taking all the punishment Kamika was giving her. He watched as Mirajane rushed toward Kamika, only to get attacked the papers that immobilizes their victims. He then watched as Kamika used the paper that uses fire to attack.

"There's the look I wanted to see." Said Kamika, seeing Mirajane in pain. That gained Alarak's attention. "That beautiful face of yours looks even lovelier with that expression. I can see the pain and fear your feeling inside. It sends so many shivers down my spine *giggles*." Said Kamika as she wrapped her arms around her body.

"Ahh. A Terran that understands the joy of seeing their enemy's quake and die with a face full of fear." Said Alarak. "I never thought I see the day." Said Alarak as Kamika launched the white dance, yellow dance, and green dance at Mirajane.

"Alarak! Come out here and help!" Yelled Mirajane as she covers her mouth from the poison that came with paper blizzard: Green dance.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you had this under control." Said Alarak. "I will help when you need it." Kamika looked in amusement. After she dealt with Mirajane, she'll deal with Alarak next. She then looked at Mirajane and widened her eyes in shock and disbelief that Mirajane was walking toward her.

"Impossible! Your body should in enough pain that you should be begging to me to stop! How in the hell can you be standing up!?" Asked Kamika.

"That's easy. There's so many things you don't know about me. Like when I know I'm being watched. Or anywhere around people really. I tend to not go full strength because I don't want to scare people." Said Mirajane.

"What?" Asked Kamika, as she took a step back.

"I know. Who holds back in a fight?" Asked Alarak.

"It's funny actually. I'm a walking contradiction. But it's just the way I am. Always have been. But when it's just be I can go full throttle no problem at all." Said Mirajane as she turned into her Satan soul form and inhaled the poison.

"She's inhaling the poison! How?!" Asked Kamika.

"It's because poison is one of a demons favorite things." Said Mirajane. The two then commenced fighting each other with Mirajane holding the advantage the entire fight. Alarak then looked in amusement at the two fighters. He then heard a gun click and looked to the direction he heard it from. He narrowed his eyes as he recognized it as the one the Terran Spectres use. He then walked over to the noise and saw that no one was there. He then fired a destructive wave at the site and saw that no one was caught. He narrowed his eyes in anger. The Spectre must have moved somewhere else. He then sensed a massive amount of psionic power and looked to see where it was coming from. He looked and saw two Spectres using their psionics into a psionics lash at Mirajane and Kamika, who was shaking in fear as Mirajane had her hand on her mouth. He growled in anger before blinking toward the two Terrans and grabbed the two before jumping a safe distance just about the psionic lash was launched. The attacks hit the ground they used to be in and turned into a large crater. A shot soon sounded and Mirajane turned back into her normal form and held her stomach to stem the blood flow. Alarak growled as he looked around to see at least seven Spectres surrounding them. He looked to see Kamika on the floor, still processing on what just happened. He grabbed her and made her look him the eye.

"If you value your life, you will assist me in killing these Spectres. And if you do not, then stay here and stay out of my way." Said Alarak as he threw her to the ground and jumped toward three of the Spectres and slashed at them, removing their heads from their body. The remaining four cloaked and hid in the shadows. Alarak watched carefully for any sign of them. He soon jerked back when a sniper round hit his back and fired a psionic bolt at the area where the shot originated from and the Spectre that fired the shot fell to the ground with a hole in his chest. Two of the remaining three Spectres summoned their psionics to be used in a psionic lash attack at Alarak while the last one prepared to shoot at Alarak's head once his shields go down. The tactic worked and Alarak's shields went down. The Spectre was about to fire when multiple paper shurikens went toward their direction. The majority missed them but one of the shurikens sliced through his helmet and impeded into his head. The remaining two Spectres looked in shock as they saw Kamika launch a paper blizzard: purple dance at them, immobilizing them and revealing them because their cloaks can't conceal the papers. She couldn't see them but she can still launch attacks on the Spectres. Alarak then launched a destructive wave at them and ended their lives. He then walked up to Kamika, who looked a little intimidated by his size. "You assisted me and may have just saved my life." Said Alarak. "For that, no matter how much I dislike it, I am in your debt." Said Alarak. "So, in order to repay that debt, I will knock you out gently as it is a better alternative than Mirajane doing it and I will allow you to make one request of me after all this is over." Said Alarak before psionically forcing Kamika to sleep. He then grabbed her and Mirajane and walked to the explosion of walls he just heard.

* * *

Present

* * *

"And that is what happened." Said Alarak. Artanis had his eyes widen at that information.

"Seven Spectres came and confronted you three!?" Asked Artanis.

"Yes. They were quickly dispatched and it appears I owe that Terran a favor." Said Alarak, annoyed that he was saved by a Terran.

"Then these attack have confirmed my suspicions. It appears that the Terrans we fought back in that world sent some of their forces to this world. That would explain why their forces were so few than the report indicated." Said Artanis.

"And why we have not fought any Protoss forces aligned to Amon. They must have been sent here as well." Said Alarak.

"This complicates matters. We will need to tell the Terrans native to this land soon." Said Artanis. Meanwhile in a cave filled with high tech equipment, a team of Terrans were monitoring the status of the team they sent to the Abyss palace. They then heard large thumbs and saw their leader and the dragon slayer they allied with coming to them.

"What happened?" Asked their leader.

"The team we sent in was annihilated, sir." Said one of the Terrans. "There was no casualties on the Protoss's side." Their leader growled in anger before slashing at the Terran that responded, cutting him in half.

"Pitiful. Your soldiers failed at doing their job." Said the Dragon slayer. "What about our other plan?"

"The bombs are ready to go. We just need to warp them in the Protoss fleets and they will be out of commission by the time the dragons come." Said another Terran.

"Good. I want them disabled before the dragons arrive." Said the dragon slayer before leaving. After seeing him leave, the leader turned toward the remaining Terrans.

"Once the dragons arrive, make sure that the devices are ready." Said the leader. The Terrans nodded and the leader left them. They then ordered a clean-up crew to take care of the mess.

* * *

 **Oh my. It appears that the Terrans are here as well and that they are against the Protoss. And it looks like they have a plan to the Protoss fleets. What will happen? Well, you guys will have to read to find out. See you guys next time.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Future genocide**

 **AN (5/23/17): Added and changed some sentences to help clarify somethings**

* * *

Artanis was walking along with the Fairies and Alarak to the exit of the Abyss place. It appears that the leader of the Hungry wolf knights spoke the truth as they now saw the exit. It was a rather large gate. Natsu upon seeing it ran right at it, intending to destroy it.

"Must his every act involve destroying something?" Asked Artanis. He has never seen a Terran this eager to destroy something.

"You have no idea." Said Lucy, remembering every single time that Natsu destroyed something in the guild, her home, or on a job and the guild or herself were forced to pay for the damages. As Natsu as rushing at the gate it suddenly opened, making him stop and trip. He rolled a few times before stopping at the feet of the one that opened it. They all then looked at the person, readying for combat in case they proved hostile. Natsu looked at the person who was concealed with a cloak that hid everything except her feet before sniffing. He gasped suddenly.

"I recognize that smell. There's no doubt about it." Said Natsu. The figure then began to cry.

"Natsu." Said the figure before breaking down in sobs. Everyone except Alarak lowered their guard, wondering what was going on. Lucy then walked up to the figure.

"Show us who you are." Asked Lucy. The figure then lowered her hood and everyone was shocked. The figure was Lucy herself.

"Two Lucy's!?" Said Natsu, not understanding what was going on. The doppelganger then looked them.

"The whole kingdom is doomed." Said the other Lucy. Everyone then paid attention at what she said. She stopped crying to explain. "I'm sure you all know about eclipse. I used it to go back in time to warn you all about the impending doom that will befall the kingdom." Everyone then understood what was going on. This Lucy was the future version of the present Lucy.

"What doom are we speaking of?" Asked Artanis, marching up to the future Lucy. The future one looked at him and widening her eyes and started to hyperventilate.

"You!" Said the future Lucy, heavily breathing now. "If you're here then…" The future Lucy looked around and saw Alarak. Upon laying her eyes on him, she took a step back. "YOU!" Yelled out future Lucy in anger and fear. Everyone looked at her in surprise, wondering why she was acting like this. She suddenly fainted and Natsu grabbed her in time.

"What's going on?" Asked Happy, confused at what just happened.

"It appears that we have an impending doom in our hands and that it involves time travel." Said Artanis, looking at the present Lucy who looked conflicted at why her future self will travel back in time. "But to learn more about this doom, we will have to ask her for information and to find a safe place to do so. The hungry wolf knights will soon awaken and track us down. Not to mention the royal army." Said Artanis. The fairies agreed with him, not wanting to fight more people working for the royal family. Alarak, not so much.

"Let the army come. They will taste my blades." Said Alarak. Everyone then glared at Alarak before moving out. Artanis then marched up to Alarak and put up a physic link between them.

"Must you destroy the fragile relations we have with the Fairy Tail guild?" Asked Artanis.

"If they cannot handle my comments or ways then they should say it out." Said Alarak, uncaring at the Fairies opinion of him. Artanis sighed in frustration. It seems that time has done little to Alarak's personality. As they were walking, Artanis attempted to read the mind of the future Lucy to learn more about this apocalyptic future, she was talking about. To his surprise, he couldn't access her mind. He looked to find Alarak with a scowl, obviously frustrated due to a failed attempt at reading the future Lucy's mind. Something was preventing them from reading her mind. He would have attempted to find out what was causing this but doing so would draw the attention of the Fairy Tail and cause an unnecessary confrontation. He looked at Alarak and told him to not tamper with the future Lucy's mind anymore. He got a scoff as a response. He then walked up to Wendy. She then looked up to him. She was a little intimidating by his height among other things but she gathered up the courage to speak to him.

"Hey Artanis." Said Wendy. As soon as she had his attention she continued. "Can you tell us about your people?" Asked Wendy. Ever since they meet these beings, the Fairy Tail wizards and especially Levy were curious about them and wanted to know more about them. There was no knowledge about them and Levy was full of curiosity and excitement at being the first one to record a new species. Everyone else listened in, even Natsu, as they were curious as well and wanted to know more about their new allies.

"You wish to know about my people?" Asked Artanis. Wendy nodded. "Very well. Since you don't know of my people's name, I will tell you. We are called Protoss." Said Artanis. "We live in a faraway place called Aiur and have colonized other lands." Said Artanis, carefully choosing his words so that they don't know about his people's darker history or that they are an alien race from another world. He will tell those in time. "We made great advancements in technology. To the point that we master the use of flying ships and teleportation along with many other things." Said Artanis. They were all amazed and in awe at this. They were perhaps the first in Fiore to learn of a new people and their culture. One thing that bugged them though.

"Do your people have magic?" Asked Yukino.

"No, but we have something similar to magic." Said Artanis. Everyone then looked at him while they walked. There was something similar to magic? Seeing that he had their attention, he continued. "It is called psionics." Said Artanis, holding out his palm and gathered psionic energy into. "It is the basis of our society. Similar to your magic in that it is the basis of your society. It is a power that is manipulated and fueled by the mind. It enables a user to use one's own mind to induce paranormal phenomena." Explained Artanis. Everyone looked at him in amazement.

"So all those tricks and powers that you did wasn't magic but it was you using your mind?" Asked Wendy in awe. Artanis then nodded.

"So how many of your people can use Psionics?" Asked Lucy.

"All of us." Said Artanis. Everyone then looked at him in disbelief. They looked at him as if he was joking but the fact that he was not laughing. Only ten percent of humans can use magic but these Protoss can all use psionics. Seeing this, Artanis then clarified. "While we can all use psionics, there some who can better utilize it than others. However, one can increase their psionics potential through training or by using certain crystals to help them." Said Artanis.

"So can others use it?" Asked Happy. He was also curious about these Psionic powers.

"Yes." Said Artanis, a bit weirded out that he was talking to a cat. "Other species can use psionics but it is presented to a various degree. I have seen humans use it but I don't know if any of you can utilize it." Said Artanis.

"I see. So, how can all your people use it if other species can't?" Said Pantherlily, wondering if the people of Edolas could have utilize psionics it could have prevented the events that led them to drain magic from Earth land.

"I don't know but I heard that Psionics powers are present in a species because of its structural makeup." Said Artanis. "Even the subtlest of changes to an organism's genetic code can destroy its psionic potential." Explained Artanis.

"So, you're saying that people are born to use psionics?" Asked Lucy. Artanis then nodded in conformation. "So, what else can you do?" Asked Lucy.

"Our people can shield ourselves with it, charge our tools and weapons, and to make or meld matter." Said Artanis. "We are also natural mind readers." Said Artanis, catching everyone's attention.

"You can read minds!?" Asked Happy, remembering Cobra who can also do something similar but only what a person is thinking. Seeing Artanis nod, Happy wanted to confirm it. "What's in my mind now?" Asked Happy, thinking up a thought. Artanis then looked at Happy for a moment before walking away from him.

"You are thinking of Lucy and Natsu on a tree and kissing each other." Said Artanis. Natsu and Lucy then looked at Happy who was freaking out.

"HE CAN READ MINDS!" Yelled out Happy. "I WAS THINKING THAT AND HE GUESSED IT!" Lucy then grabbed Happy by the tail and held him up to her blushing face.

"I DON'T LIKE NATSU THAT WAY!" Yelled Lucy.

"Really?" Asked Alarak, amused at the blushing blond. "Cause I have dwelled into the deepest corners of your mind and I can see your desire for the dragon slayer." Said Alarak.

"And what is that?" Asked Lucy nervously.

"I see you and the dragon slayer start a family after some rather long mating rituals. Tell me, do Terran males put their mouths in Terran female's glands so both can feel the pleasure or is it just the females?" Asked Alarak to a beet red Lucy. Mirajane squealed in delight that one of her favorite shipping's is going to happen. Yukino was blushing heavily at what Alarak said.

"I-ITS NOT LIKE THAT!" Yelled Lucy, making Alarak chuckle.

"Princess!" Cried out Loke, who was carrying Arcadios. Apparently he was one of Lucy's celestial spirits, creatures that Lucy can summon to aid her in battle. He explained that he summoned himself and handed Yukino and Lucy back their celestial keys when they were fighting one of the Hungry wolf knights. "You love that pink-haired force of destruction more than me!? Oh this is a dark day!" Cried out Loke who was shedding comical tears. Lucy was trying to calm Loke down while Natsu just stared in confusion at what was going on.

"Lucy likes me?" Asked Natsu.

"Yes, she wishes to be your girlfriend Natsu." Said Mirajane.

"But she already is my girlfriend." Said Natsu, oblivious to what he said.

"NO WE"RE NOT! We're just friends!" Yelled Lucy.

"But you're a girl and my friend, Luce." Said Natsu, who was even more confused now.

"*Sighs* She means that she is not your mate." Said Artanis. Natsu, upon hearing that, understood now.

"OH! You mean Lucy is my mate." Said Natsu. "Well, why didn't any of you ask that earlier?" Asked Natsu, oblivious to his guild mates and Yukino falling to the floor in disbelief. "Of course, Lucy is not my mate. She and I are just good friends. Though I wouldn't mind being her mate." Mirajane, hearing this, squalled in delight while Lucy went beet red again.

"I see. Then why don't you two go on what the Terrans call a date after this is over." Said Alarak before moving ahead. Everyone then followed behind him. Lucy was keeping a safe distance from Natsu, too in thought on what to do after this is all over. This all wouldn't have happen if she just kept that thought from her mind but then the Protoss would just peer through her mind and see it. Stupid mind reading Protoss. Now all her secrets were in danger.

* * *

 **Protoss combined fleet near Earth land**

 **Spear of Adun**

 **Bridge**

* * *

Karax was busy working on the celestial array, trying to use it to find where they were, when a Zealot asked for him.

"What is it?" Asked Karax.

"Phase-smith. We detected psionics energies coming from the caves near Crocus." Said the Zealot. "It is not the hierarch or the high lord. Rather, it seems to be from hybrid." At the mention of hybrid, Karax rushed over to the zealot to see the reading on the monitor. Sure enough, the energy signature was hybrid in nature. They had to warn the hierarch.

"Open a communication line to Artanis! We have to warn him!" Yelled out Karax. The crew then got to work when the energy signature increased and soon an explosion was detected in the fleet. "What happened!?" Asked Karax, wondering what was happening.

"A Terran bomb just detonated in the fleet! It disabled some of our ships!" Yelled out a zealot. Sure enough, more and more bombs appeared and detonated within the fleet, disabling any ships that were in their range. Multiple bombs then appeared before both ark ships and disabled them as well.

"What is our status?" Asked Karax.

"Nearly all of our vessels have been disabled." Said a zealot. "Those that remain are trying to help out the disabled vessels."

"Get to work on regaining power." Ordered Karax. "The hierarch may soon be in danger." Said Karax before going to the solar core. This was bad. Nearly all of their ships were disabled, vastly crippling them. Leaving them vulnerable to attack. Karax was concerned on how they managed to do so. After the 2nd great war, the Protoss put much effort in making a defense against Terran EMPs. Though it took some time, they managed to upgrade their shields and armor to withstand several blasts from Terran EMPs. As a result, their ships and mechanical units wouldn't be shut down as easily in the past. To have several EMPs rip through their shields with no effort, concerned him. He was, however, confused on why the Terrans did not deploy nuclear weapons against them. He knew that Terran nukes can disable electronics but that was only a byproduct as the purpose of a nuclear weapon was to destroy rather than disable. He soon made it to the solar core and saw Talandar still active. "How are you still active my friend?" Asked Karax.

"What do you mean friend?" Asked Talandar, confused. "I have always remained active. Trying to communicate to home. Is something wrong?" Karax then told him of what happened, making Talandar shake in anger. "Those Terrans that serve Amon intend to fight us when we are unable to fight back!? The cowards!" Yelled out Talandar.

"I don't think so, Talandar. If that was their intent we would be seeing their ships attacking right now. I think that this was all they can do." Said Karax. "Can you get the energizers to key locations around the ship? If you are still active, they might be as well." Said Karax.

"I will get them to where they are needed." Said Talandar before contacting the energizers all over the fleet and telling them to help restore power since they can act as an active power generator.

"Good, it is imperative that we establish communications and warp transmitters online first. The hierarch may be in danger and require reinforcements." Said Karax before leaving to try and restore Spear of Adun and the fleet. Meanwhile in a Terran command center. The mysterious leader and dragon slayer saw the success of their attack. They had no nuclear weapons to attack the Protoss, so they had to make due with EMP bombs to disable their fleet. The mysterious leader growled in anger, remembering the day that he lost all his nuclear weaponry thanks to the Protoss and all of its subordinates that were able to make more as well as all the data necessary to create more. Still it was satisfied that the Protoss fleet was disabled. It would have been sweeter if he could destroy the Protoss fleet right now when they were at their weakest but he had no battlecruisers at his disposal and he needed his remaining air power for the upcoming dragon invasion.

"How long will they remain disabled?" Asked the dragon slayer.

"A day at least." Said the leader.

"Excellent. That is more than enough time to summon the dragons." Said the dragon slayer before leaving to find the fairies that attempted to rescue Lucy. The leader growled as he left. He then turned toward the Terrans operating the command center.

"What is the status of finding the ones from the future?" Asked the leader.

"The forces we sent reported that they cannont find them or are dead." Said an operator.

"WHAT!?" Asked the leader.

"Once a team failed to respond, we sent someone to look for them. We found them dead, sir. This happened with several other teams as well." Said the Operator.

"USELESS TERRANS!" Yelled the leader. "IF YOU CANNOT DO A SIMPLE MISSION, THEN I WILL SEND MY OWN KIND TO DO IT!" Yelled the leader before leaving. Once it was outside it roared and out came three large purple monsters with glowing blue veins and eyes. "Find the future beings and destroy them." Said the leader. The three growled in conformation before teleporting away.

* * *

 **Crocus**

 **Royal Palace**

* * *

The Lucy from the future was slowly waking up and slowly rose up. She looked around to see her past self, her guild mates, Arcadios next to her, Yukino, and, much to her dismay, the two Protoss leaders. Artanis, seeing that she was awake, walked up to her.

"Greetings. I am hierarch Artanis." Said Artanis, lowering down to her eye level with everyone else doing the same. "Are you well?" Asked Artanis. Seeing her nod, he asked his question. "You said that the kingdom is doom before, correct? What did you mean exactly?" Asked Artanis. The future Lucy began to tear up but stopped herself. She needed to tell them in order to stop the calamity that will happen soon. Even if that meant she had to tell the Protoss as well.

"Our worst fears will soon come to pass. In just a few short hours, a swarm of more than ten thousand dragons will befall on Crocus and exterminate the human race." Said the future Lucy, making everyone look at her. After a few minutes passed, Natsu began to talk.

"We're…So…DEAD!" Declared Natsu before starting to freak out with Happy. As everyone else was contemplating, the Lucy from the future was looking at Alarak who was near one of the entrances that led to the room they were all in. She looked at him with anger, fear, and sadness. She then looked to see Natsu grabbing some spears and a helmet, declaring that they have to fight the dragons. She smiled a bit at his antics. She missed him so much. She then saw everyone stare at her.

"Is there anything else that we need to know?" Asked Artanis. They needed as much information as possible about this future if they are to prevent it. Future Lucy then looked at Artanis with hesitation. Should she tell him? They needed all the information they can get but she was worried at what will happen if she told him or more importantly Alarak. She winced at the memory.

"There is." Said the future Lucy. "But in order to tell you, I ask that you and Alarak leave." Said the future Lucy. Everyone then looked at each other.

"How come?" Asked Wendy. She can get Alarak but Artanis seemed like a nice guy.

"Please. Just do it." Said the future Lucy. Artanis sighed before motioning Alarak to follow him outside, who rolled his eyes before leaving. After seeing the Protoss leave the future Lucy explained herself. "Sorry about that but I had to get them to leave. I don't want them to know what else there is about the future." Said Lucy, gaining everyone else's attention.

"Why? They could help us." Asked Happy. The future Lucy then looked at Happy with sadness before replying.

"It's because of the dragon's allies." Said the future Lucy, gaining everyone's attention.

"Wait. The dragons have allies?" Asked the present Lucy. She wondered who would help the dragons commit genocide on the human race. Her future self, looked at her before replying.

"The dragon's allies are humans." Said the future Lucy. Everyone then widened their eyes in disbelief. Humans helping commit the genocide of their own race! That was insane. "Not only that but there's also a hive-mind race that the Protoss fought before that they call the Zerg. There's also some of their own kind that is helping drive humans to extinction." Said the future Lucy. Everyone then looked at each other in fear or disbelief. They had to deal with four threats at the same time. "And that's not all. To top it all off, they have some sort of species that is a combination of both Zerg and Protoss. Like, someone used the traits of both races and meshed it all together. And finally, the one that leads the dragons is a dragon slayer." Said the Future Lucy. Everyone said nothing for a while. They had to deal with multiple threats at once and not only that but a dragon slayer is in charge of the dragons. This was a big problem.

"Who's the dragon slayer?" Asked Wendy in fear, hoping that it was not one of Fairy Tails. The future Lucy, seeing Wendy's scared face, clarified.

"It's not one of Fairy Tails." Said the future Lucy, making everyone from Fairy Tail sigh in relief. It broke her heart at what she was about to say. "The reason being that they're all dead." Said future Lucy. Everyone then widened their eyes in horror at that information.

"How?" Asked Natsu. He was wondering on who or what killed him and the other dragon slayers.

"It was Alarak." Said the future Lucy, wincing at the memory. Everyone then widened their eyes at this before getting angry that their supposed ally killed them in the future.

"How did he do it?" Asked Pantherlily seriously. Future Lucy then began to tear up before telling them how it happened.

* * *

 **Future**

 **Magnolia**

* * *

Lucy was getting up from the wreckage of the destroyed Fairy Tail guild hall. She was crying out her eyes. The reason being that she was surrounded by the corpses of her guild mates and friends, killed by the Zerg through overwhelming numbers. She had solace in that they took quite a few of the Zerg with them and that a few were still fighting but she knew it didn't matter. The Zerg will just replenish the ones they lost more quickly than they can ever do and attack again and again until they were all dead. She looked to see the dead body of Juvia and Wendy, surrounded by a large number of Zerg. She nearly threw up as she looked to see what their bodies looked like. Wendy lost half of her head by a diagonal slash caused by a Zerg slashing at her with it's scythe-like hands. Juvia's head looked like a target shot full of holes with the amount of damage caused by the spines that were shot at her head. She then heard a large roar and looked to see one of the more massive Zerg falling with part of its head burned off. A figure jumped off it and right in front of her. It was Natsu. He and the remaining Fairy Tail mages were still fighting but they were slowly being picked off one by one. It was only a matter of time before they were all killed off.

"Sorry, Luce. These things took a lot of my time. Cocky bugs." Said Natsu. The two heard ear-shattering shrieks as they saw more Zerg coming at them. They then looked around and saw that only Erza, Gajeel, Levy, Gray, Laxus, and Mirajane were coming to them. Everyone else was dead or fighting somewhere else. Erza then walked up to Lucy. She was panting heavily and had cuts all over her body.

"Lucy. Take Levy and get out of here." Ordered Erza. Lucy was about to protest when Erza held up her hand. "Now is not the time to argue. You two are too weak to fight them anymore and we need someone to tell about Fairy Tail to survivors to keep their hopes up." Said Erza. She then looked at Lucy with soft eyes and smiled sadly. "We'll hold them off as you two make your escape." Lucy looked around and saw that everyone else was in agreement except Levy, who was crying and Gajeel was comforting her. Natsu then walked up to Lucy and looked at her in the eye.

"Lucy, please." Said Natsu. She then begun to tear up. She nodded quickly before taking Levy's hand and taking off, crying all the way. The remaining Fairy Tail mages looked at their departing friends in sadness before looking at their rapidly approaching enemy. "You bugs messed with the wrong guild!" Yelled Natsu as he and everyone got ready for their final battle. "I'm Natsu Dragneel! I'm a Fairy Tail wizard and I'm not going down without a fight!" Yelled Natsu as he charged at them. "YOU"RE ALL DEAD MEAT!" Yelled Natsu as he dug his fist at the nearest Zerg and burning the ones nearby into dust. The remaining Fairy Tail mages charged and joined the fight, wanting to have Fairy Tail's name be remembered as a symbol of hope and defiance against overwhelming odds. Meanwhile, Levy and Lucy were both running away from the destroyed town. They were soon in the forest and were running to the nearest safe haven. They have been crying all the way. They wanted to stay and fight but they knew that someone had to spread the word about Fairy Tail's last stand. Levy soon tripped and sprained her ankle. Lucy then helped her up and the two were about to start funning when a growl stopped them. The two looked behind them and saw one of the smaller Zerg looking at them with hunger. The two froze. They had no means of defending themselves as they used up all their magic power fighting the Zerg but they still were not about to go down without a fight. Lucy got out her whip and Levy grabbed a rock. The Zerg then charged at them but was soon destroyed by red lightening. The two girls looked in surprise before turning to see Alarak and several of his own soldiers behind him, looking at them in amusement.

"I see that you two are the only ones that escaped." Said Alarak. "Pity." Alarak then marched out of the forest and looked to see the destroyed Magnolia. Lucy and Levy soon following.

"Are you going to help them?" Asked Lucy, hoping it was the case. Her friends were still alive there.

"No. I came to exterminate the Zerg." Declared Alarak. "But unfortunately, I do not have the time to do so in. as you Terrans say, the old fashioned way. So, I will do so by bombarding them in orbit." Declared Alarak. Lucy and Levy's eyes widen in horror at that declaration.

"You can't! Our friends are still…

"Will be dead soon. Don't worry their deaths will be swift. Besides, my forces would not have made it in time to rescue them." Said Alarak. The two girls were about to protest when a large beam of red light descended on Magnolia and burned what remain to the ground along with the Fairy Tail mages still in there and the Zerg as well. The show was soon over and what remained was just dust and scorched earth. Magnolia was so totaled that there was no evidence that a town was there in the first place. The two girls then broke down into sobs for their friends. Alarak looked at them in amusement before leaving them. Lucy looked at Alarak in hatred before crying more, mourning for her friends.

* * *

 **Present.**

* * *

"That day, Fairy Tail died and Magnolia was turned to nothing but ashes." Finished Future Lucy. Everyone was looking at her with both sympathy, and sadness for her. Natsu then put his forehead at hers to comfort her. The future Lucy began to cry before grabbing Natsu and put him in a tight embrace. Natsu let this happened as she began to cry on his chest. After some time of crying future Lucy let go and looked at everyone. "Now you know what happened and why I can't trust Protoss." Said Future Lucy. Everyone then looked at her in understanding.

"But why don't you trust Artanis?" Asked Wendy. She can understand with Alarak but not Artanis. He seemed to be the opposite of Alarak and they seem to be at each other's throats.

"And why are you doing all this if the Protoss will just read your mind?" Asked Happy, wondering why she was doing all this if the Protoss will just mind read her.

"I don't distrust Artanis." Said future Lucy. "I'm just afraid that Artanis would do the same as Alarak did that day." Said future Lucy. "It may just be irrational fear but I can't take the chance." Explained future Lucy. She then got up. "As for the point in trying to keeping this all a secret of them is because of this." She then took out a strange metal object from a pocket in her cloak. "This device is rare. I can't tell you who made it or why but it enables one to prevent a Protoss from mind reading them. I suspected Artanis and Alarak would have attempted to read my mind so I brought this with me." Once she saw them about to ask more questions, she stopped them before they could ask them. "We're running out of time. We need to go and meet up with Jellal when we still can." Said future Lucy before telling them the plan on how to get out of the palace and meet up with Jellal.

Meanwhile Alarak was contemplating on his encounter with the hungry wolf knight known as Kamika and how she potentially saved his life. It annoyed him to no end that a Terran saved his life. Still, he wasn't as annoyed with it as he should be. Perhaps it was because the woman shared his views on reveling in the slaughter of their enemies. He had to admit that he never thought he will met a Terran who shared his views and beliefs. Perhaps after this is all over and if they become allies, they can interact with each other more. Still, if she intends to stop him then she will taste his blade. Artanis was likewise thinking about the hungry wolf knight that he fought. He wondered if she and her comrades were alright though he was more concerned with Cosmos since she took a bullet from a Terran Spectre's rifle. He healed her yes but he was still concerned for her well-being. He was also worried on how the Fiore kingdom will take them beating their most powerful executioners down. He will have to make an apology to them later once this was all over but for now they all had bigger concerns right now. A massive horde of dragons will be upon them soon and they had to prepare. Both Terrans native to this world and Protoss. He attempted to contact the fleet but they were not receiving. This concerned him as they should have a clear connection between each other. Either the Terrans allying with Amon were jamming his communications or the fleet was somehow disabled. Either one meant grave problems for them because that meant that the Terrans native to this world will have to fight the dragons on their own. He knew that Alarak will at some point suggest that this will be their opportunity to gain the trust of the Fiore Terrans. Fighting with them when the dragons come will gain the Protoss the heart of the people. He's seen it happen in the past when Terrans and Protoss fought side by side when they fought the Zerg and Amon. It was like the universe gave them an opportunity to gain the trust of the Fiore Terrans. Still, he will fight not to gain the trust of Terrans but to protect the innocent and those that cannot defend themselves. Soon the Terrans came out of the room they were in. Seeing this, Artanis walked up to them.

"How did it go?" Asked Artanis to Wendy.

"It went okay. The Lucy from the future told us that we have to fire a signal flare to notify Jellal that we're coming so he can come pick us up." Said Wendy.

"I see but why did she ask us to leave?" Asked Artanis. Wendy looked hesitant to answer back as everyone looked at her. She looked at the Lucy from the future who gave a look of pleading to not tell Artanis.

"Well…It was just some…not really important stuff." Answered Wendy. "She thought that you and Alarak wouldn't want to hear that stuff." Said Wendy, looking at Artanis with her innocent eyes. He looked at her for a while before nodding slowly.

"Then where should we go?" Asked Artanis.

"Follow me." Said the Lucy from the future. Everyone then followed her but not before giving Alarak a glare, something that raised the curiosity of Artanis. He felt the emotions from the Terrans and they were far more aggressive than they were before. He looked at them for a moment before following. Something wasn't right. Alarak just chuckled before following Artanis. These Terrans always made him laugh.

Those of you who play Starcraft should know what those purple things before were. Now this is a bad spot for the Protoss and Fairy Tail. They will have to face off dragons, Zerg, Terrans, and Protoss at once. Can the Golden Armada be restored in time to send reinforcements or will the Terrans of Fiore have to deal with this force all by themselves with just Alarak and Artanis as support. Also about the poll, I'm just going to choose myself from now on. I'm kind of inclined toward all the women because I want to have some funny moments of women fighting over their love interest. That's one of the only if not THE only thing I like about harems. We'll see how it goes. And Read, Rate, and review. And I hope you all had a good Christmas.


	10. Chapter 10

**Happy New Year! I hope you all have your goals for the years and I hope you will achieve them. Now on to clarify stuff from reviews. First off, Artanis wouldn't destroy the magic council because it would be detrimental to the Protoss if he did so despite whatever slime ball move the council will do due to it be affecting public opinion of Protoss. So, no matter what they do, Artanis will have to deal with it or find a way to reform it. Secondly, Kerrigan won't help the Protoss. I may include her but I'm planning not to. Now on to the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Hybrid and time travelers**

* * *

 **Grand Magic Games coliseum**

 **Crocus**

* * *

The final match of the Grand Magic games was entering the final stages as most of the contestants and teams have been eliminated. The only ones that remain are Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Sabretooth remained. Everyone was cheering and screaming in support for their favorite team. The same was said for the Fairy Tail guild who were cheering for their team with all they can. So far, besides one slip up, the strategy constructed by the first master of Fairy Tail has proven to be effective as it caused Fairy Tail to be neck and neck with Sabretooth for first place. Though they were all battered from intense fighting, team Fairy Tail were still ready to fight for their guild no matter how bruised or damaged they will become. While the teams were competing against each other Mavis Vermillion, the first master of Fairy Tail, asked a question to Makarov, the current master of Fairy Tail, that has been bothering her for some time.

"Do you trust our new allies?" Asked Mavis. Makarov, who was busy, cheering for his team looked at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite hear you first master." Said Makarov.

"I said do you trust our new allies, third master." Said Mavis, looking at him. "Do you trust the beings that volunteered to help us save one of our members?" Asked Mavis, seriously. When she heard about these beings from the Fairy Tail members, she was shocked as she never heard about them and was immediately suspicious when they just gave them their assistance with no sort of reward latter for them. Makarov sighed at her question before growing serious.

"To be honest first master, I don't." Said Makarov. "As much as I want to believe that they are doing this out of the kindness in their hearts, I believe they have an ulterior motive for helping us." Said Makarov. "But right now, one of my children are in danger and I wish to save her. So for now, I will trust them."

"I see." Said Mavis. "If I can help ease your suspicion, I believe that one of them truly wants to help us while the other doesn't." Said Mavis. Seeing that Makarov was looking at her, she continued. "I believe that your children said that there were multiple types of them. Correct?" Asked Mavis. Makarov then nodded. "And that there are two leaders." Makarov nodded again. "Well I believe that, with the information we have so far about them, that we can put faith in Artanis." Said Mavis with a smile. "With what you told me of him, he seems to be a trustworthy person."

"And what of Alarak?" Asked Makarov. Since first seeing the high lord, Makarov instantly was on guard and later disliked him. For the short time the two interacted, Alarak constantly insulted or mocked Makarov for his ideals and even insulted his parenting skills with how Ivan went. It took all the will power he had to not attack the high lord, especially when he insulted his children or attack his grandson. Not only that, but the darkness that emitted from Alarak worried him. It was as strong as or stronger than master Precht when he turned evil. It was as almost as if Alarak thrived in killing and murder. Mavis instantly frowned at the mention of the high lord. To be honest, she had no idea on what to think of the high lord. With the information she had on him, Alarak seemed to be the type of person that enjoys killing and the violence of battle. He had no morals, no care to those under his commands, and no care to the innocent. It made her wonder why he and Artanis are working together. Perhaps Alarak is not as evil as he seems?

"I have no idea what to think of Alarak." Said Mavis, seriously. "For now, let us observe him some more and decide the best course of action with him." Makarov reluctantly nodded and began to watch the tournament again, wondering of how the rescue team was doing. He hoped that they were doing well.

* * *

 **Royal Palace**

* * *

The rescue team was not doing very well. One moment, the Lucy from the future was leading them to an entrance out of the palace and the next royal soldiers suddenly arrived and started to attack them. To make matters worse, colonel Arcadios was gone and so was Yukino. Mirajane then left the team to find them, leaving everyone else to fight the royal army. As he was fighting, Artanis was surprised with how poorly equipped and trained the royal army soldiers were. Being armed with simple armor and spears made them no threat to the Protoss or the Fairy Tail wizards so they were all being taken down rather easily despite having some of their ranks using magic and having superior numbers on their side. This was both a boon and curse to Artanis as while this made them rather easy to take down it also meant that they will stand no chance against the dragons, meaning that he had to make contact with the fleet soon or many will die. Which was going to be a problem because more and more reinforcements were coming and they didn't have the time for this. The situation got even worse when the hungry wolf knights joined the fight. Artanis was currently fighting Cosmos yet again while Alarak was fighting Kamika with Lucy and her spirits, both were reluctant to fight against or fight with him respectively.

"Why do you fight against us again!?" Yelled Artanis as he swung his psi-blades at Cosmos, who dodged the blades and countered by sending her plants against him.

"Simple. It's my job to execute law breakers." Said Cosmos as she launched spores against him but became frustrated when the spores did nothing to Artanis because of his powerful shields. "Not only did you break the kingdom's laws but you're attacking its soldiers as well." Explained Cosmos.

"We only do so because your soldiers attack us first." Said Artanis as he began to dodge Cosmos's attacks. "Please, I beg of you to allow us to escape. There is a calamity coming soon that must be prevented. If you do not allow us to leave, you will be condemning the kingdom's people to death! Do you wish to have that on you conscious!?" Demanded Artanis, making Cosmos hesitate. She began to wonder if Artanis was speaking the truth. The princess said that he and Alarak had to be eliminated in order to prevent something terrible from happening to the kingdom but that was it. She never said a reason why they had to be eliminated, which was fine for her and her team. They were simply soldiers of the kingdom that obey its orders, no matter how morally questionable those orders are. But she couldn't help but wonder why she ordered the death of Alarak and Artanis. From what she's seen from Artanis, he was a strong, respectable, and moral person. Not the type to commit crimes. He was apparently merciful as well since he saved her from certain death though she got a lot of concerned and questions from her teammates on why she was bloody all over and was fine physically. All this made her question the validity of her orders and why the princess was acting so ruthless. She was a rather kind and smart person that cared for her people. Maybe she thought that the Protoss were dangerous beings that couldn't be trusted? Maybe Cosmos didn't really knew Artanis at all and he was simply acting? All this made her open to attack but instead of getting hit, Cosmos felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked at the person responsible and saw the celestial spirit that was with the law breakers, smiling at her.

"Your names Cosmos, right?" Asked the spirit, nonchalantly. "You know, I'm more a lover than a fighter. Why don't you and I ditch this fight and go somewhere nice." Offered the spirit. Cosmos glared at the spirit before attacking him with a plant, making him go away from her. If there was one type of men Cosmos disliked, it was the flirty type. She then ignored the spirit, who recovered from the attack, and focused on Artanis, who looked annoyed at his comrade for flirting on the battlefield. The two then proceeded to fight each other again but with more hesitation on Cosmos's part. Kamika, on the other hand, was scared. More scared than when she fought Mirajane. This was because Alarak had this aura that honestly scared her more than Mirajane. And he fought with such ferocity, speed, and skill that she had never seen before in her life. Her attacks were ineffective as he either dodged or took the damage, allowing his shield to take the damage. His attacks, however, seemed to be more aimed to incapacitate than kill but there was a reluctance in them. Like he was annoyed that he had to hold back and not kill anyone. This made her wonder why. He seemed to be the type to kill his opponents and relish in it, just like her. It made her wonder what was causing him to hold back. Nevertheless, she was grateful in him holding back because she was grimly certain that he would kill her with ease if he tried. The fighting continued for hours, much to Artanis's chagrin.

"This is taking too long!" Yelled out Artanis as he deflected an attack from Cosmos. "We must finish this now or escape!"

"And how do we do that!?" Asked Lucy as she dodged an attack from Kamika. "They got us surrounded!" Artanis had to agree. There was no way that the Terrans can possibly leave. The royal army had them completely surrounded. He and Alarak can escape with their blink abilities or cloak themselves but he didn't want to abandon the Fairy Tail mages. Right now, the only way to end this quickly is by convincing the royal army to stand down. He was about to use his psionics in a grand spectacle to get everyone's attention when he saw shadows coming from the end of the hall. It confused him as they were slowly coming closer to them. He sensed a dark presence from them that put him on guard. The shadows then soon encroached on the executioners, the royal army, Alarak, and Artanis. Everyone then stopped fighting when they all saw the shadows. The shadows then began to drag everyone except for the members of Fairy Tail into them. The royal army began to panic as they tried to escape. The executioners tried as well but kept their cool, albeit barely. Artanis and Alarak, completely calm, simply used their psionics to rid of the shadows. Now safe, Artanis looked as the royal army and executioners were being engulfed in shadows. Knowing something had to be done and that they needed everyone they can get for the upcoming calamity, Artanis grabbed the leader of the executioners and pulled him out of the shadows grasp, saving him and Cosmos and Kamika as the leader tried to save his comrades. Alarak, upon seeing this, rolled his eyes and roughly grabbed the last two executioners, pulling them out of the shadows. The shadows then began to act aggressively before suddenly stopping and receding back to the end of the hall way. While everyone was in shock at what the Protoss leaders had done, the two were in thought at what just happened.

"Did you sense the darkness from those shadows, Alarak?" Asked Artanis. The high lord simply nodded as he looked at the darkened hallway. He was intrigued by these shadows and wondered who created them. He would soon get his answer as they all heard footsteps coming from the darkened hallway. A figure came out and it was a shock to everyone as the person looked like Rogue from Sabretooth except his hair was longer and in a ponytail. His hair was also different in that it was white on the left and black on the right. His black hair was covering all the right side of his face, obscuring it from their view. Artanis was on guard because he came out of the shadows that tried to swallow him, Alarak, and the executioners before.

"It seemed we meet again, Natsu Dragneel." Said the Rogue look-alike. "I'm Rogue. Or rather the one from the future." The Fairy Tail wizards gasped at this. Artanis and Alarak, however, weren't so surprised because they sensed that this was the same Rogue as the one from Sabretooth. Yet that was all they can sense. It seemed as if this Rogue went through some great mental training to block them. This made Artanis suspicious but he decided not to delve into this Rogue's mind. Rather he focused on the hungry wolf knights, particular Cosmos, as they were regaining their bearings from their experience.

"Are you alright?" Asked Artanis as he kneeled at Cosmos. The Terran woman then looked at the hierarch before nodding.

"Why did you save us?" Asked Cosmos as she looked at his eyes. "We tried to kill you yet you saved us. Why?" Artanis simply stood there before replying.

"Because I do not want to be enemies of the kingdom you serve. Not only that, but this is a whole misunderstanding. I will explain later but please understand that what we are doing is for the kingdom." Said Artanis, honestly. Cosmos looked at his eyes to see if there was any deception in them. While doing so, she noticed how pretty his glowing eyes were. She blushed a bit before turning away. She then looked to her teammates looking at the conversation between the Fairy Tail mages and the future Rogue except for Kamika as she looked at Alarak who was bored and was looking at his physical blades. She was about to tease Kamika when she heard someone yell out. She looked at the commotion and saw the one in the cloak that was with the Fairy Tail mages fall to the ground with blood flowing from a wound. She looked around and saw the one that came from the shadow was in a position as if he did it.

"What happened?" Asked Cosmos.

"The Rogue from the future killed the Lucy from the future when she took a blow for the present Lucy." Stated Alarak as if was the most obvious thing in the world. He saw the whole thing and was curious why. The Rogue from the future seemed to act as if it was the only way to save the future because he stated that Lucy would prevent the eclipse gate, which apparently can double as a weapon, from opening thus allowing the dragons to kill off humanity but Alarak knew that this future Lucy would not do such a thing. She was far too kind and naïve to do such a thing. He then put some more effort into reading Rogue's mind than he did previously and found out a lot of interesting things that made Alarak excited. "Now there is something to do." Thought Alarak. As the Fairy Tail mages were demanding to know why Rogue did such a thing, Alarak decided to tell what he just discovered. "It's because he wanted her to die." Said Alarak gaining everyone's attention. "He came here to prevent her from warning us." Said Alarak, surprising everyone except Rogue who looked a bit anger but calm as if he expected this. "He plans to allow the dragons to come here through the eclipse gate." Explained Alarak, shocking everyone. "The gate is not a weapon. It is merely something to manipulate time and space, and he plans to use it to bring forth dragons when they were alive but to do this he needed to manipulate the princess to open the gate. So he came back from the future to do so but when he heard that another time traveler came from the future, he knew that time traveler would warn everyone about the upcoming doom so he looked for them to eliminate them. Isn't that right, Terran?" Asked Alarak. The future Rogue simply smirked.

"Correct. I thought that the mental training I gained would be enough to shield myself from your mind reading but it appears I was wrong." Said Rogue. "It doesn't matter that you all know, the eclipse gate would soon open and the dragons will soon be upon us. But to keep you all busy until that happens I'll have to rely on my allies." Said Rogue. With that he disappeared in the shadows and the shadows began to dissipate. As soon as they all disappeared, Artanis looked at the Fairy Tail mages. They were all shocked and angry with what they all just learned. Natsu was the most affected. He was shaking in anger and was clenching his fists.

"I understand your anger, Fairy Tail." Said Artanis. "But right now, we need to stop the eclipse gate from opening. It's what she would have wanted." Said Artanis, pointing to the Future Lucy who was being held by her present self. After a few minutes of grieving, they all turned to look at him with determination in their eyes. They all then nodded in agreement. They had to stop the eclipse gate from opening. Seeing this, Artanis got up and extended out his hand to Cosmos. "I ask of you all to join us." Said Artanis to the hungry wolf knights. "I know that your orders were to kill us but it is also your duty to protect the kingdom. I implore you all to forget your mission with us and help us save the kingdom from a disaster." Asked Artanis. The hungry wolf knights looked at each other, hesitant to agree with Artanis until the leader stood up. Artanis looked at him and the two had a stare down until the leader extended his hand.

"Just this once." Said the leader. This may go against his orders but if what he heard is true then, no matter how ludicrous the idea was, they had to stop the kingdom from being destroyed by dragons. "But for now, you have the support of the hungry wolf knights." Artanis then grabbed the leaders hand before shaking it. The other hungry wolf knights then got up and looked ready for battle.

"Good. Now we have to find the princess and stop her from activating the gate." Said Artanis. Everyone was about to leave when they heard growls. They all looked around to find where it was coming from when suddenly, in a flash of darkness, three large and imposing figure were in front of them. They were massive and had a thin face, an expansive carapace headpiece, segmented plates over spindly limbs, and massive black claws. It had two pairs of arms and two pairs of tentacles behind its back. It was purple in color and glowing eyes and veins. It was something that was all too familiar to the Protoss.

"Hybrid!" Yelled out Artanis as he ignited his psi-blades.

"Oh-ho this is exciting." Said Alarak as he did the same with his bane-blades.

"S-so t-those things are hybrid?" Asked Happy in fright. He imagined them to be scary but he never thought that scary. The three hybrid then growled and Happy got behind Lucy in fright.

"Looks that way and it looks like their with Rogue." Said Natsu as he ignited his fist. He then charged at the hybrid. "You're all not getting in my way!" Yelled out Natsu as he planned to plant his first firmly in the nearest hybrid. The attack landed but only managed to annoy the hybrid. It scoffed at Natsu's attempt and grabbed him with one of its arm. It then threw him to Lucy, causing them to crash into each other. The other two hybrid then ran up to the group with their arms wide open, intending to rip them to pieces. Everyone then got out of their way but just barely. Kamika launched a yellow dance against them but only grazed them.

"How do we beat these monsters!?" Asked Kamika.

"We must work together to defeat them!" Yelled out Artanis. He then blinked toward one and slashed one of its arms off. It roared in pain before trying to catch the hierarch who was blinking out of the way. While it was distracted Lily in his battle form slashed at one of its other arms with all his strength, causing it to fall off. The hybrid was angry now and then slammed its arms to the ground, causing everyone to lose their balance. The other hybrids then rushed up to Wendy, who looked up in time to see them about to slash at her. She screamed in fright before several plants attacked the hybrids, pushing them away a bit. Wendy was soon grabbed by a plant and was brought to Cosmos.

"Sorry, but I can't let such a cute face be harmed by such vile beasts." Said Cosmos. Wendy looked at Cosmos in shock as Cosmos was trying to kill them just a few minutes ago but now she was protecting them. She pushed the shock away and got up. "Want to team up, cutie?" Asked Cosmos. Wendy nodded and the two launched their attacks at one of the hybrid, catching its attention. It then charged at them but was interrupted by an attack from Natsu, who put more power in his attack causing the hybrid to crash into the floor. The last hybrid then roared and teleported next to Loke. It then grabbed him and ripped him in half before Lucy's eyes. Fortunately, since Loke was a spirit, he didn't die and simply returned to the spirit world. It then turned its attention to Lucy, who was in shock at seeing her spirit be defeated in such a way, and raised its arms up to slash at her. Alarak and Kamika then launched their attacks at the hybrid before it could do so.

"No way, am I allowing my allies to be killed if I can have a say in the matter even if I tried to kill them earlier." Said Kamika.

"I merely helped because I wanted to fight and kill something." Said Alarak, not caring about Lucy. He then turned to Kamika. "Since your friend is helping with Artanis, I assume you want to team up with me as well?" Asked Alarak. Kamika looked at him before nodded. She was curious on fighting with him. Kamika then launched a purple dance at the hybrid they attack earlier, immobilizing it. Alarak soon followed up with a Deadly charge at the hybrid, hurting it. The hybrid then managed to lose itself of the papers before teleporting to Kamika. She then summoned a paper shield to defend her from the upcoming slashes but the paper was shredded from the first attack and she barely managed to dodge the next attack and get away in time as the claws managed to slash at the sash that held her dress rope together. The sash fell off and allowed it to open slightly. She blushed in embarrassment before grabbing her dress rope and tried to hold it together with one hand. Alarak then did a deadly charge and pushed the hybrid away from Kamika. He looked at her as she held the upper and lower portion of her dress to prevent people from seeing her chest and nether regions. He raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "Perhaps you should consider wearing something that is not so easy to destroy. After all, it would damage your pride if someone saw your glands and the part for reproducing purposes." Said Alarak. She blushed more at what he said and looked to see him grab her cut sash. He then threw it to her. "Tie it after the battle is won." Said Alarak as he charged at the hybrid he attacked with Uosuke and Neppa. They continued to fight it for several minutes until Uosuke managed to immobilize the hybrid down with his magic while Neppa hit it his acid coated fist, causing parts of it to dissolve. Alarak then finished it off with by digging his bane blades deep into it's head. It then roared as it began to disintegrate.

"Wow! Talk about some way to go!" Said Uosuke, amazed at the impressive death.

"Too bad that no one will believe us when we tell them that about it." Said Neppa.

"Not to worry. There are plenty more where that came from." Said Alarak, amused at the banter. He then looked as Artanis, Lily, and the leader of the hungry wolf knights finish off their hybrid while Lucy, Wendy, Cosmos, and Natsu finished off the other. Everyone looked exhausted from the fight except for Kamika, Alarak, and Artanis due to Kamika being absent from most of the fight while Artanis and Alarak were used to fighting hybrid.

"Is everyone alright?" Asked Artanis. Everyone nodded. That was one of the most intense fights they have ever faced.

"Yeah, but I kinda like a break." Said Uosuke. The fight took most of his remaining magic power as well as everyone else's.

"We can't, I'm afraid." Said Artanis. "We must prevent the princess from opening the gate." Everyone then nodded. They all then began to run except for Alarak and Kamika. He looked to see Kamika trying to tie her sash back together but was struggling to do so. He rolled his eyes before grabbing the sash and began to tie it. She blushed in embarrassment as Alarak was tying it in its original position…under her chest. She would have slaughtered any men that tried to do so but she wasn't stupid enough to do so against Alarak as she was too weak to face him. Plus, she had the feeling Alarak didn't care for breasts as most men she met. He was quickly down and managed to tie it so that her dress rope wouldn't open up. He looked down at her stared at her. She looked at him with a bit of fright before he replied.

"Next time, dress up in something more appropriate for combat." Said Alarak as he left to find the group. She then followed him, eager to forget what happened between the two. Meanwhile, Karax was trying to fix the communication systems in the Spear of Adun so they can contact Artanis. They needed to send a message to the hierarch and Alarak about the danger they are in as well as sending reinforcements to them. So far, they managed to restore power to several non-essential systems and some of the ships in the fleet have been partially restored. He was close to fixing the communication systems when Talandar came and informed him that he may have a solution.

"What is it, Talandar?" Asked Karax as he worked.

"I think if we have several energizers transfer their power to the communication systems, we can temporarily send a message to the hierarch." Said Talandar. Karax stopped to think. There was nothing wrong with trying and everything with the communication systems were fixed. They just needed power. He then allowed the plan to go into motion and soon several energizers arrived. They soon began to transfer their power to a nearby communication station and sure enough it began to activate. Karax then began to send a try and establish a connection toward the hierarch with the device that was with Artanis. Sure enough a connection was made and the face of Artanis appeared with several of the native Terrans with him.

"Hierarch! Thank Adun, that you are safe!" Said Karax. "I regret to inform you that we detected hybrid in the region." Said Karax.

"I know Karax. We recently encountered some. It took some time but we managed to defeat them." Said Artanis. "Listen Karax, I need you to send reinforcements to our location. Alarak had just informed me that allies of Amon are here in Earthland. Not only that, but there will soon be an invasion of dragons as well."

"I wish we can do so, Hierarch but right now we are unable to do so." Said Karax, surprising Artanis. "Terrans had managed to disable most of our vessels and the remaining vessels are working on helping the disabled vessels. We have nothing to send you right now."

"But Karax, I need reinforcements now." Said Artanis.

"I understand Hierarch. We'll do what we can. For now, I can't send any vessels." Said Karax.

"*Sighs* Very well. We will try and hold out." Said Artanis. Karax then nodded and cut the connection and began to work on trying to fix the hanger bays and teleportation systems so they can send reinforcements to Artanis with Talandar following, eager to help out in any way he can. As soon as the connection was over, Artanis looked to see everyone looking at him.

"What was that?" Asked Wendy, asking the question everyone was wondering as well. Artanis sighed before walking and urging them to follow him. With them following, he began to tell them the whole truth about his people. Meanwhile, Jellal, Meredy, and Ultear were panting from exhaustion. They were on their way to the place when Jellal realized there was another time traveler from the future other than Lucy when suddenly they were attacked by a figure dressed in a cloak that concealed their body. To their surprise, the figure held them all off and wasn't even trying to fight.

"Now that I have your attention, I need your help." Said the figure, who then proceeded to remove their hood and revealed themselves. All three looked in shock at who the figure was. "And please no questions about me. Right now, I need your help to save the present and future. If you don't heed my instructions, everyone will die." Said the figure. Seeing that the figure had their attention, the figure began to talk.

* * *

 **Who was that mysterious figure? Is he or she a friend or foe? No one knows. Now this is getting dicey for the good guys. Will they all survive? Probably not. Also I spared the Hungry Wolf Knights from their fate from Rogue because I rather find them interesting and I wanted to do something with them. They deserve more stories with them in it. Anyway, Read, Rate, and Review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Invasion and new allies**

 **AN: Tweaked a bit. (5/23/17)**

* * *

 **Outside of Crocus**

* * *

A figure was watching as the eclipse gate opened and how a dragon came out of it sometime later. The figure sighed. It knew that this will inevitably happen with how well prepared the future Rogue was at making sure the dragons will come. His disabling of the Protoss fleet and him warning the princess about the disaster so she'll use the eclipse gate as a weapon, a ploy so the dragons can come from the past, was prove of that. But he and his allies did not calculate another time traveler to come and alter events themselves. The figure already did what it could. Now, it was up to the Protoss to act on them.

* * *

 **Crocus**

 **Royal Garden**

* * *

It was fortunate that the Hungry Wolf Knights were with the group because they shown them several shortcuts to the royal garden and sure enough they arrived just in time to see a dragon arrive from the gate.

"We're too late!" Yelled out Wendy in despair.

"Not yet! We can still close it in time to prevent more from coming!" Yelled out Artanis as the group arrived to the eclipse gate. They saw Arcadios, the defense minister, the princess, Yukino, Mirajane, and lots of royal guards. They saw Yukino as she summoned her celestial spirits to try and close the gate.

"Yukino!" Yelled out Lucy. Everyone then looked at the approaching group. Seeing Lucy, Yukino sighed in relief.

"Lucy! I need your help!" Yelled out Yukino. "We need all the celestial spirits to close the gate! Hurry!" Lucy then nodded and ran up to Yukino. The two then began chanting and summoned all twelve of the spirits. The twelve spirits then flew up to the gate and began to slowly close it. Just in time to prevent another dragon from arriving. Everyone then cheered as the gate closed but Artanis knew that it was not over yet. He then marched up to princess Hisui.

"Princess Hisui." Said Artanis. She looked up to Artanis with tear-stained eyes. She was crying because she had just unleashed several dragons on the world. All because of her foolish trust in someone she didn't know. Arcadios put the princess behind him as Artanis approached. She then went around Arcadios and faced Artanis. She knew what he wanted. Revenge for putting an execution order on him. Well, she deserved it. She potentially condemned an innocent person to death. Artanis looked at her but rather than attempt to take her life he asked a question. "How many dragons have arrived?" asked Artanis. Hisui was in shock that Artanis seemingly put aside his grudge against her and asked her of the current situation. "I ask you again princess. How many came out of the gate?" Asked Artanis. He needed to know how many dragons arrived to better make a strategy against them. Princess Hisui then shook her head before replying.

"Fourteen dragons." Said Hisui as she wiped her eyes of tears. She needed to be strong for her people. Artanis then sighed in relief. That was a manageable number. He then saw a red dot on Hisui's head and realized what it was. He then grabbed her and got her out of the way when a shot fired, barely missing her. Several more round fired and down went several royal guards.

"Sniper! Get out of the courtyard!" Yelled out Artanis as more fire came from everywhere, dropping more and more royal soldiers. Artanis then ran toward some bushes and hid behind them as he scanned the area for potential snipper nests. Hisui meanwhile was hyperventilating. She just escaped from an attempt on her life and would have died if it wasn't for Artanis. The same person she ordered an execution on.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Asked Hisui. "I ordered your death." Said Hisui, miserably. Artanis then looked at the princess before replying.

"You were being manipulated." Said Artanis. He knew that she had been manipulated by the future Rogue because Alarak told him that along with the information of his plan he also discovered that Rogue told her that Artanis and Alarak were people that need to be eliminated in order to prevent a disastrous future. She was skeptical until future events he told her happened and she believed him. "I do not have a grudge against you. You were simply doing what you thought was right." Said Artanis. "But right now is not the time for this. We need to get you out of the kill zone." Hisui then nodded. If the army saw her die, it would cripple their moral. They soon had guests in the form of Cosmos and Uosuke. Hisui was glad that the Hungry Wolf Knights were here. Now they had a chance to find the shooters.

"Golly. Those snipers sure got some good aim." Said Uosuke. He had several close calls from the sniper fire.

"You should see the bodies." Said Cosmos grimly, remembering seeing the head of a royal soldier that was hit by one of the snipers. There was a massive hole where his face used to be.

"They must be Terran ghosts." Said Artanis. "We will need to be careful. Cosmos, can you bring us somewhere safe?" Asked Artanis.

"Yeah but I can only take one person with me. I'll take the princess somewhere safe." Said Cosmos.

"No. This is my mistake. I will stay here and fight if I have to." Said Hisui. Everyone was about to protest when they heard a dragon's roar. They all looked up to see a massive green dragon appear in the courtyard. They also noticed that the sniper fire stopped. The dragon then spoke.

"If any of you want to live, then I suggest you all come out." Said the dragon. "If not, then I'll just let the humans with guns keep shooting till you're all dead." With great reluctance, the four came out of their hiding spot and walked toward to the dragon. They noticed the dead bodies of fallen soldiers and Hisui nearly threw up at the sight. Soldiers were ripped in half, lost limbs, had big holes in their bodies, or big holes where their heads used to be. She then noticed with relief that the defense minister, Arcadios, the Fairy Tail mages, Yukino, Alarak, and the rest of the hungry wolf knights and many guards were all right. They all heard fighting across the cities and knew that the rest of the dragons were fighting against the wizard guilds. They all hoped that they will be alright. Hearing all the fighting, the dragon before them laughed.

"They're really going all out aren't they?" Said the dragon laughing. "Humans have been always entertaining."

"It's Zirconis." Said Wendy, catching Artanis's attention.

"You know this dragon?" Asked Artanis.

"Yeah." Said Wendy. "I summoned his spirit from the dead some time ago. He was a little chatty."

"Little?" Said Lucy. "Try a lot."

"Why are you all surprised?" Asked Zirconis. "Then again, most of my brethren prefer to just destroy everything than make a conversation. I'm more of an intellectual than my brethren. I'm more willing to make a conversation than any other dragons. Yet you're all still trembling in fear. Not that I blame any of you. I'm still quite a powerful dragon. Go ahead and run if you like. I like to chase my food before I eat it." Said Zirconis. Wendy then walked up to Zirconis and asked a question.

"Why did you all come here?" Asked Wendy. "What's the motivation?"

"The motivation?" Repeated Zirconis. "To be honest, you should ask the guy on top of Mother Glare. He's the one calling all the shots along with some other weird looking guy." Said Zirconis, pointing to the future Rogue on top of a dragon. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not letting a human boss me around but this was a fun idea so I went with it." Said Zirconis.

"So you came to terrorize and slaughter innocent Terrans. Is that it?" Asked Artanis as he stepped forward defiantly. Zirconis looked at the Protoss leader with curiosity.

"Oh." Said Zirconis. "I never seen your kind before. You might be a great appetizer." Said Zirconis.

"Try it, and you will regret it, Zirconis." Said Artanis as he ignited his psi-blades. Everyone was amazed at Artanis's bravery. Zirconis simply laughed.

"You got guts, I'll give you that." Said Zirconis. "I'll try and remember you." Said Zirconis before lunging at Artanis with his mouth wide open. Artanis then blinked out of the way and on top of the dragon's head. He then ran to the tail while dragging his psi-blade against the skin of the dragon. The dragon roared in pain at the burning sensation of the psi-blade against his skin. "You little!" Yelled out Zirconis as he tried to grab Artanis but Artanis was already by the tail. He jumped off and did on final slash at the dragon's leg, causing minor damage. Zirconis then looked at the Protoss leader. "You're going to wish you never did that." Said Zirconis as he opened his mouth to do a breath attack but he was soon attack by Natsu.

"Not a chance, you lizard." Said Natsu as he attacked again on the dragon's jaw. He then jumped and slammed his fire enhanced fist into the dragon's back, making Zirconis roar in pain. The dragon went to the ground in a thud. Natsu then looked at Artanis. "I need to get up to Rogue. Can you hold the line here?" Asked Natsu.

"Yes, but be careful. There may be more snipers around in the city. Try and stop them whenever you can. Also proceed with caution. They will not hesitate to kill." Said Artanis. Natsu nodded before running to the city so he can find a way to get on top of the dragon future Rogue was on. Artanis then looked at the army before talking.

"We need to get out of here before Zirconis gets up." Said Artanis.

"Too late." Said Zirconis as he got up. "I'll make you regret ever being born." He then opened his mouth and fired a light at Artanis and the army. Artanis then blinked out of the way as well as Alarak. The hungry wolf knights got out of as well with the Fairy Tail mages, Arcadios, and Hisui. Everyone else was caught in the blast.

"Oh no!" Yelled out Hisui in horror.

"This just went from bad to worse." Said the hungry wolf knight leader now known as Kama since he gave his name to the group while they were coming here. The breath attack soon stopped and the smoke from the attack was fading away. What came out shocked, disgusted, and embarrassed everyone. The entire royal army was stripped of their clothes, leaving them naked. Everyone widened their eyes at this including Alarak, who later laughed at this.

"Poor guys!" Yelled out Happy.

"Poor me." Said Lily. "I feel sick."

"I think I'll never sleep well again." Said Kama, now traumatized for life.

"That's something you see every day." Said Uosuke.

"I'd still like to not have seen it." Said Kamika while blushing with Neppa and Cosmos agreeing. The other girls agreed. Hisui shrieked when she saw the naked men. Covering her eyes and blushing madly.

"Humans are tasty but their clothing give me gas." Said Zirconis, disappointed that he didn't get Artanis but was amused at their reaction. "Believe me. No one wants that." Said Zirconis while the royal army left.

"I think no one wants to see that." Said Artanis. He needed something to erase that memory from his mind.

"Fair point." Agreed Zirconis. "But still, guys are not up to my taste. Too gamy. But females." Said Zirconis, looking at Lucy who freaked out at the dragon looking at her.

"Zirconis was that you're magic?" Asked Wendy.

"Yes. Every dragon can use magic. You didn't know that?" Asked Zirconis.

"You have magic that can destroy clothing!?" Demanded Lucy to the dragon. The dragon looked at her before using his magic against her, shredding her clothing as well. Lucy screamed in embarrassment. Arcadios looked at her with his mouth open, embarrassed as well, before Hisui covered his eyes. The Hungry wolf knight males looked away, not wanting to incur the wrath of their female team mates. Artanis groaned at this, wondering if this is what he had to deal with in this world all the time, while Alarak laughed at Lucy's expense. Zirconis then grabbed Lucy and was about to eat her when they all heard Natsu's voice.

"HEY! YOU ALL CAN HEAR ME!" Yelled out Natsu, they all looked to see Mother Glare falling out of the sky with fire on its back. "IF YOU CAN, LISTEN UP! THERE'S FOURTEEN DRAGONS HERE BUT WE HAVE SEVEN DRAGON SLAYERS! SO WHAT IF WE'RE OUTNUMBERED, WE CAN STILL DO THIS! THIS IS WHAT WE'RE BORN TO DO! LET'S GET OUT THERE AND SLAY SOME FRICKING DRAGONS! WHO'S WITH ME CAUSE I'M GOING DRAGON HUNTING!" Yelled out Natsu as they saw a massive explosion coming from mother glare.

"Quite a loud mouth, isn't he." Said Alarak, amused at the Terran's speech.

"He is. But he is right. We should help them defeat these dragons." Said Artanis. Alarak looked at the hierarch in amusment and was about to say something when Zirconis laughed and began to put Lucy in his mouth. Wendy then fired a sky dragon roar at the dragon's belly, causing him to flinch. Mirajane then went into her Sitri form and punched Zirconis in the jaw. Carla then grabbed Wendy and flew her up so she can attack Zirconis in the air. Zirconis, annoyed, tossed Lucy and flew in the air to fight the girls. Happy soon followed Lucy to try and help her. Seeing the dragon distracted, Artanis then looked at the group.

"We need to go and help the city. Arcadios. Led the princess to safety and protect her. Take whoever you need to do so but I need Kamika and Cosmos to come with me. The rest of us will go and help those inside the city." Said Artanis. Everyone nodded except for Hisui, who was about to protest but was grabbed by Arcadios and put on his shoulder.

"Hungry Wolf knights." Said Arcadios. "Do what he says but I need you to come with me." Said Arcadios before running to find a safe place with Hisui protesting along the way.

"You heard the colonel." Said Kama. "Cosmos. Kamika. You two be safe." Said Kama.

"We'll try." Said Kamika. "You boys just do the same." Kama then nodded before he, Neppa, and Uosuke left to go with the colonel. Kamika then turned toward Artanis. "So what's the plan?"

"We'll divide into two groups. Alarak. Take Yukino and Kamika and try to find any snipers in the city but start here. I'll take Cosmos and Lily to any guild that requires aid. Now quickly, before Zirconis realizes we are gone." Said Artanis. The group then ran to the city, determined to help out. Meanwhile the mysterious figure was growing impatient. The future Rogue said to wait until he needed them but so far he didn't give any signal. He looked to see that his army was also impatient. They were waiting for the chance to kill some people and were getting bored. After a few more minutes of waiting, it received a transmission from the soldiers it sent with the dragon slayer. It began to chuckle. It then turned towards it's army.

"READY THE MEN! WE ARE JOINING THE BATTLE NOW! WHETHER THE DRAGON SLAYER LIKES IT OR NOT!" Yelled out the figure before teleporting to the battlefield. Beings with similar capabilities did the same and teleported to the battlefield, killing any wizard that was in their way. The rest either ran to the battlefield or took off in air or ground transports. Unknown to them, they were being watched by two people, who were here because they were told by someone to investigate and what they found was staggering. Ultear and Meredy were in shock at how many were fighting with the dragons and what they had. They saw ships taking off and taking men to the battle while being escorted by heavily armed ships. They also saw massive machines on the ground that were tracked or were walking. The soldiers themselves were varied between massive human-like people to being insect like to alien like.

"The guilds won't stand a chance against all of them." Said Meredy. Ultear nodded in grim conformation.

"Meredy, go and warn this Artanis what is coming. He'll need to know about this." Said Ultear. "I'll try and see what I can do to stop this army." Meredy looked like she was going to protest but a look from Ultear stopped her. She then reluctantly took a device given to her by the mysterious figure they encountered before a pressed a button. She was soon gone in a flash of light. "I still can't believe that such a device can teleport people to places." Said Ultear as she looked at the army. She needed to sabotage their war machines. She then followed the army and began to come up with ideas.

* * *

 **Protoss joint fleet in orbit around Earthland**

* * *

Karax was exhausted. He had just finished fixing the communication systems in the spear of Adun so they can contact with Artanis and the rest of the active fleet. Most of, if not all the ships managed to restore their communication systems and were contacting each other to help solve the problems in their ships. So far, the only things left to do in the ark ships was to restore the engine, warp transmit, and weapon systems. The other vessels needed to do the same. So Karax ordered that the motherships and carriers to focus on fixing their warp transmit systems so they can send reinforcements to Artanis and Alarak. So far, many were close to do but none have been able to restore the warp transmit systems. He knew that he should take a break but the hierarch needed them right now. He decided to contact Artanis so he can tell him of their progress. Sure enough when Artanis replied he heard the sounds of battle.

"Artanis! What is happening!?" Asked Karax.

"The invasion had started Karax! There are only a handful of dragons here but they are overwhelming. What's more, one has spawned multiple minions of sorts to fight us! Not only that but we are suffering casualties from sniper fire and hybrid forces! I fear that more of Amon's followers will soon be upon us!" Yelled out Artanis. "We need reinforcements now!"

"I understand hierarch but we cannot send any reinforcements right now! We'll try and double our efforts. I'm sorry hierarch but you'll have to wait a bit longer." Said Karax.

"Understood, Karax!" Yelled out Artanis as he slashed a dragon spawn. "Just hurry!" Yelled out Artanis as he disconnected. Karax then open communications to all the fleet and told that the Artanis and Alarak needed them and told them to hurry. He then received a mysterious message. He opened it and what he saw shocked him. As soon as he recovered, he went into thought. If what the letter had is true, then it could potentially save the life of Artanis and the Terrans native to this world. But it could also be a trap. He was interrupted from his thoughts when he was told that several motherships are almost finish fixing their warp transmit system. Karax then ordered to deploy any active warp prisms to the ground as soon as possible so they can use them as power sources to fuel the warp in transmit. He ultimately decided to trust the message and did what it instructed. He hoped that he was not making a mistake.

* * *

 **Crocus**

* * *

"What are these things!?" Yelled out Kagura as she dodged an attack from a large serpent-like creature that shot out spines at her. A few moments ago she was fighting her way out of these dragon hatchling to get to Millianna when she got separated from the group when suddenly a giant worm came out of the ground and started spewing out large amounts of creatures she never seen before. The smaller ones she handled with ease but the larger ones proved to be a problem as they kept out of her reach and shot out spines at her at incredible speeds and there were more of both types coming out of the worm. She then dodged an attack from three of the smaller ones but was left wide open to the bigger ones who began to shot at her. She tried to dodge but several spines lodged into her stomach and left shoulder. She screamed in pain when one of the larger ones rammed into her and caused her to crash into a wall. She coughed out blood as she looked to see the spines in her body. She pulled one out and instantly cried out in pain. The spines were well lodged in. She looked to see large amounts of the smaller ones coming at her. She looked for her sword but found it too far away from her. She then began to tear up, knowing she had no escape. The smaller ones then charged at her but before they could kill her, they were soon destroyed by a person she was familiar with. "Artanis." Said Kagura in shock. He looked at her before proceeding to destroy all the creatures with ease. She was in awe as he saw him teleporting from place to place. He even sometimes dashed to a location and out came lighting that killed anything in its path. She wasn't just interested in his abilities but also his skills and weapons. His weapon of choice were two wrist mounted blades of light that he used with utmost efficiency. His skills were also impressive. His moves were graceful yet devastating as he continuously dodged the attacks from the creatures and killed them with single strikes. And whatever attacks did managed to hit him were stopped by a shield of sorts surrounding him. Artanis then stood still and began to exert immense power. Soon, a field of blue energy surrounded him and began to expand quickly, killing the creatures when they were in range. He then summoned lighting in his hands and shot it at the worm, killing it. It screamed before slamming into the ground and began to fall into its hole. Seeing that the enemy was no more, Artanis walked over to Kagura and examined her wounds. Soon two more people arrived. One she recognized as one of the cats from Fairy Tail and the other was a pink haired woman that she had no knowledge on.

"Brace yourself, Kagura." Said Artanis as he grabbed one of the spines on her shoulder. "This will be painful." Kagura nodded. He then pulled it out, making her cry out in pain. She panted before bracing herself again as Artanis proceeded to pull out the rest. She clenched her teeth and the rock she was holding onto so hard that her hand and teeth started to ache. The pain was soon over as Artanis pulled the last spine out. She panted in exhaustion as blood dripped from her wounds. "This should help the pain." Said Artanis as he used his astral wind ability on her. She gasped in shock when she looked to see her wounds fully healed. She got up but stumbled. Fortunately, Artanis caught her before she hit the ground. She soon got her bearing and stood up perfectly.

"Was that healing magic?" Asked Kagura.

"No. Just some psionic power he calls Astral Wind." Said the pink-haired woman. "Names Cosmos, by the way." During their run to the courtyard Artanis explained his powers and what he used on her when she was shot. She and the rest of the Hungry Wolf Knight were awed that such a power exists and that these Psionics seemed to be more powerful then magic. Kagura looked at Cosmos before looking at Artanis.

"You have my gratitude, Artanis." Said Kagura. "Now I must be on my way to find my friend." Said Kagura. She was about to leave when Artanis asked.

"Who?" Asked Artanis.

"Millianna." Said Kagura. "She got separated from my team and I went to look for her when these things found me."

"Then you must stay with us. The Zerg are a dangerous foe to face alone." Said Artanis. This just got worse. Now, they had to deal with Zerg as well. He heard from Alarak that there are also hybrid in the area which worsen the situation further.

"The Zerg?" Asked Kagura as she eyes one of the corpses of the creatures they just fought. "These things?" Asked Kagura.

"Yes. They are a formidable foe and I fear many will die against them. The only way to fight them is to fight together. Otherwise, they will pick us off one by one." Said Artanis. Kagura took this into thought before nodding.

"Very well. But I must find Millianna." Said Kagura.

"Agreed. Hopefully, your friend is still alive when we find her." Said Artanis as they ran to find Millianna. Meanwhile Alarak had just finished off a large amount of Zerglings with his destruction wave. Kamika did the same to a group of Hydralisks as well as Yukino to a group of Zerglings with her celestial spirits. They had just finished off the last group of snipers, something that left a bad taste in Yukino's mouth as Kamika and Alarak just killed them off, they could find when they were ambushed by Zerg. The two woman were amazed at how easily killed these things were but they were then reminded at how many of these things were when another wave came at them.

"*Laughs*Yes! Come Zerg! Come to the slaughter!" Yelled out Alarak excitedly as he launched another destruction wave against the group, taking out a large amount. The two sweat dropped as Alarak launched himself to the surviving Zerg and proceeded to slaughter them.

"He sure likes to kill." Said Yukino, a bit alarmed at Alarak's enjoyment of killing.

"Yup." Agreed Kamika. She then heard a rock fall and looked to see a woman in red hair and eyes near a ruined building, looking at Alarak as he killed of the Zerg. Kamika recognized her as Flare, the member of Raven Tail. "What are you doing here?" Asked Kamika as she pulled out a paper. Flare looked at her before blushing.

"Oh, just watching someone kill off the things that tried to kill me." Said Flare. A group of Zerg that tried to kill her were part of the wave the came to kill Alarak. She watched as Alarak swiftly deal with the Zerg. She was impressed with his skills. "I must say, he's pretty good." Commented Flare as Alarak walked to the women, finished with the Zerg. He looked and saw Flare.

"Ahh. The female from Raven Tail. I'm impressed that you survived this battle." Said Alarak, making her blush from the supposed compliment. They all then heard a noise above them and saw a flash of light. Out of it came a woman with pink hair and red eyes. She soon fell and landed on Alarak. She shook her head and looked down and blushed hard because her assets were pressed against Alarak's face. She got off him quickly and apologized. She quickly got scared when he gave her a death glare. The glare basically said I'm going to kill you in a slow and painful way. She was about to run away when she heard Juvia. She looked to see her, Gray, and some other guys with silver hair. She then ran up to them, hoping to avoid the very angry Protoss high lord. Kamika, Yukino, and Flare and nervously looked at each other as Alarak looked like he was about to burst out in anger.

"Juvia!" Yelled out Meredy. Juvia looked and saw Meredy coming for her. "I need to find Artanis. Have you seen him?" Asked Meredy.

"I haven't." Said Juvia. They both heard a noise and saw a dragon hatchling fire its mouth laser at them.

"GET DOWN!" Yelled out Gray as he pushed the two down to the ground to avoid the laser. The laser missed and simply destroyed a wall.

"Stay focused! This is a war zone!" Yelled out Lyon as he fought off the hatchlings.

"Right. Sorry." Said Meredy as she and Gray got up. Juvia didn't because she felt Gray touch her rear end.

"I can still feel Gray's warm hand on my tootsie!" Thought Juvia as she blushed bright red. Gray then looked at her.

"Juvia." Said Gray. "Listen, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now." Said Gray. Juvia then got up, thinking it was a love confession.

"Yes." Said Juvia eagerly, getting up. "I'm ready to hear it."

"It's nothing too important." Said Gray.

"You don't know. It might be important to me." Said Juvia happily.

"This is about to get really awkward." Said Meredy, amused at her friends behavior.

"This is it!" Thought Juvia. "His confession of love!"

"JUVIA! GET DOWN!" Yelled out Lyon. Everyone then looked as a dragon hatchling fired its laser at Juvia. It was coming too fast for Juvia to become water so that she can escape it. But just before it hit her, she felt herself being pushed to the ground. She got up and saw something that horrified her. Gray took the shot for her instead. The laser hit him in the lower part of his chest, somewhere below where his heart his. Soon more hatchlings fired but before they connected with Gray, he was pushed aside by someone and that same person dashed to the hatchlings and slashed at them, cutting them to pieces. The figure soon came over to them and Meredy realized, in fright, that it was the one that gave her the death glare earlier when her chest was smashed to his face. Alarak looked at the Terrans in amusement before looking at Meredy, who was shrinking away from the high lord.

"Do what you did again and you will regret ever being born." Threatened Alarak. Meredy nodded and was about to say something when she heard Juvia cry. She looked to see her holding Gray and was trying to help him. Lyon was calling his guild mate so she can help heal Gray. She then went to them and saw that Gray's wound was fatal if it wasn't treated right. Juvia looked at Meredy with tear stained eyes.

"Do you have anything that can help him?" Asked Juvia, her voice choked with tears. Meredy sadly shook her head. She knew nothing about healing magic and she didn't have anything to help Gray. Kamika, Yukino, and Flare soon caught up with them and saw the condition Gray was in and couldn't help but feel pity or sadness for the boy. Alarak just scoffed at the sight. Yukino went up to Alarak and begged him to help.

"And why should I do so?" Asked Alarak, looking at Yukino. "The boy is at fault for taking the hit for the foolish girl that has no idea that he does not love her. If anything, it is his fault for taking the hit because if he allowed her to die he will be rid of her." Said Alarak. This caused everyone to look at him with hate or shock.

"You take that back!" Yelled Lyon. He loved Juvia with all his heart but he understood that she loved Gray than him. So, he decided to let go of his feelings for her and support her. To be honest, he was jealous that Gray had Juvia all this himself but he still loved him as a brother. And to hear this strange being insult both Juvia and Gray really got his blood boiling. Alarak just scoffed before attempting to leave but was stopped by a wall of ice in his way causing him to look at Lyon in annoyance. "Apologize or I swear I will kill you!" Yelled out Lyon. Everyone else was looking nervously as the two men had a stare down between each other.

"*Chuckles* You amuse me Terran." Said Alarak. "But know that I will not apologize. What I say is true. The boy doesn't love the girl and should die for saving her when he clearly doesn't love her." Said Alarak. Juvia had enough of this and got up and glared at Alarak with all she had.

"Gray does love me!" Yelled out Juvia. "He loves me with all his heart. He saved me from my depression and has since been saving me since!" Said Juvia, looking at Gray before looking at Alarak with hate in her eyes. "We care for each other and even put our lives on the line to save the people we love but I'm not sure you will ever understand that!" Ever since she meet him, she wasn't sure that Alarak even cared for love. But now she was sure that he didn't. To him, all that mattered was himself and his own selfish goals. "I'm certain that you will just kill us all if we weren't useful!" Yelled out Juvia. Alarak looked at her before laughing in amusement.

"I believe I like you, Terran." Said Alarak, amused. "Your bravery is commendable. Nevertheless, I will not help you heal the boy. He is not worth it." Said Alarak. At this point, Gray was starting to grow cold. Juvia noticed this and went to him. She started to panic. Meredy then grabbed Alarak's arm and looked at him with tear stained eyes.

"Please!" Begged Meredy. "He needs help now!" Alarak looked at the girl with annoyance. Her begging won't help her convince him to help. "Please! I'll do anything!" Begged Meredy. Her friend deserved love and she wanted her to be happy. Alarak just scoffed before attempting to leave again. Seeing this, Kamika sighed. She was probably going to regret this but this scene was making her feel pity for Gray and Juvia.

"Alarak! I want to cash in that debt of yours!" Yelled out Kamika. Alarak turned to Kamika.

"Oh? For what?" Asked Alarak. Kamika bit her lip before replying.

"I want you to save the boy." Said Kamika. She wasn't sure if she should do this. She didn't even knew about Gray but still she had pity for the girl and her hopeless love for the boy. She heard about it and it amused her about it. So, she couldn't help but feel pity for the girl at seeing her love dying. Besides, with the Zerg, dragons, hybrid, and potentially more foes coming for them, they needed all the help they can get. Alarak looked surprised for a moment but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared.

"Are you sure?" Asked Alarak. He remembered the debt he had with her and how he liked to have it gone as soon as possible but he never thought she would ask him to help a total stranger. She then nodded after a moment of hesitation. He looked at her for a moment before going over to the boy. "Very well, but I must warn you this will be painful." Said Alarak as he put his hand over the wound. He summoned his Psionic powers and put it into the wound, making him scream in pain. Juvia instinctively held Gray's hand and held it as the healing began to take effect. She was worried that Alarak was going to kill him but right now this was the only option. She hoped with all she had that Alarak will save her beloved. The healing process was soon over and Alarak removed his hand to reveal Gray's wound was fully healed. Gray soon opened his eyes and looked at Juvia, who was tearing up. She grabbed him and put her face on his chest, crying. Alarak just rolled his eyes before looking at Kamika. "I owe nothing to you now. Are you satisfied?" Asked Alarak. Kamika nodded. Alarak looked at her for a moment before walking away. Seeing this Meredy followed him.

"What's wrong?" Asked Meredy. She was a little worried that he held a grudge against her for what happened earlier but she didn't care about that right now. Alarak stopped and looked at her before responding.

"Nothing is wrong, Terran. I am free of my debt and now we are wasting time when we should be in the thick of battle." Said Alarak. Meredy wanted to disagree but couldn't. He had a point. There was still a battle going on and they were wasting time when others were fighting for their lives.

"Then how about you take some of us with you. Juvia and Lyon can take care of Gray while the rest of us fight." Suggested Meredy. Alarak just scoffed before resuming to walk again.

"Then don't fall behind, Terran." Said Alarak. She sighed in frustration before running toward the group, in time to see Juvia cry into Gray's chest. She ignored the warm moment between the two and told everyone to go with Alarak and for Gray, Juvia, and Lyon to go and find somewhere safe because they were too exhausted to fight. They were about to protest but Meredy was firm in her decision so the three reluctantly left to find somewhere safe. The four then left to find Alarak. As they were searching they saw the bodies of wizards, dragon hatchling, and Zerg everywhere. Flare and Yukino couldn't help but gasp and gag at the sight of the wizards. Some were ripped to shreds with their innards everywhere, curtesy of the Zerg. Others were eaten alive or full of holes. Kamika and Meredy were better composed but were still sick of seeing the dead wizard's bodies. They've seen death before but not like this.

"This is war?" Thought Meredy as she passed more bodies. She witnessed and survived the destruction of her home village. She saw children die when she was a little girl. She heard and knew that her adopted mother was the cause of her village's destruction. All this sickened or horrified her. But all didn't compared to what she saw today. All the death and destruction. And it was only getting worse once those other soldiers come and fight. They eventually found Alarak observing something. When they caught up and saw what he saw, what they saw shocked or horrified them. They saw Artanis's group, Kagura, Jellal, Erza, and Millianna on one side and on the other was a group of Protoss with…

"Ultear." Said Meredy in horror as she saw Ultear being held by two Protoss, all bruised and bleeding.

* * *

 **Sometime ago**

 **Artanis's POV**

* * *

"I need medical attention after this." Thought Artanis as he saw what was unfolding before him. With all that happened today, he might need a vacation after all this is over. A VERY LONG vacation.

"Now is not the time for this Millianna! We have to focus on the enemy!" Yelled out Kagura.

"But he is the enemy, Kagura! He killed Simon, remember!" Yelled out Millianna, heartbroken and shocked that her friend was refusing to kill Jellal.

Artanis sighed as he recalled what happened a few minutes ago. His group and Kagura were searching for Millianna while fighting off any dragon hatchlings and Zerg that they came across. While they were searching, they discovered the mutilated bodies of wizard's from other guilds, royal soldiers, and some magic council rune knights. Needless to say, it was a horrifying sight to them. Artanis was used to it however as he had seen in many times with his battles with the Zerg. Eventually they soon found Millianna with Erza, and to Kagura's disgust, Jellal. Millianna spotted them and asked Kagura to help fight Jellal and that led to what was happening now. Kagura and Millianna were now arguing on killing Jellal with everyone else just watching. To be honest, Artanis wondered if he should leave and fight the Zerg since the battle was intensifying by the minute but he feared that if he allowed this to settle on its own that it will lead to disastrous consequences. Cosmos was just amused at this and wanted it to last a bit more. Lily along with Jellal were tending to Erza as they watched the two girls bicker. Seeing it go for a few more minutes, Artanis decided to intervene.

"Enough!" Yelled out Artanis as he walked over to the girls. "We do not have the time for this!" Yelled out Artanis as he eyes at both girls. "We have more pressing matters to attend to! The Zerg and dragon forces are destroying our forces as we speak. We need to go and assist whoever we can before they are slain." Said Artanis, trying to convince Millianna to give up her revenge if for only the time being and to focus at the more pressing task. "If you wish to get revenge for your friend still, then do so after the battle is over. But fight with him this one day." Said Artanis. Kagura nodded before looking at Millianna who was hesitant.

"Listen to what he's saying, Millianna." Said Kagura. Attempting to convince Millianna as well. "I have seen what our enemies have done to our allies. If it means I have to team up with Jellal to save people from the deaths those our comrades have suffered then so be it." Said Kagura. Millianna looked down crested at the mention of dead bodies. She too had seen the bodies and she threw up at the sight. She wanted to avenge them as well but she wanted to see if any were alive too. So, she looked around to see Erza and Jellal. She then got angry and confronted them, asking why Erza was with Jellal. Now, regaining her senses, she was ashamed that she ignored the current situation for her own revenge. She was about to apologize when Artanis suddenly ignited some blades made of light from his wrist and turned around. She along with everyone looked at the direction he was facing and saw a group of being similar to him appear out of red lights and with them was a wizard. Jellal and Erza gasped as they knew the wizard. It was Ultear. Jellal sent her and Meredy to scout out the location the hooded figure told them about while he told the magic council to release Cobra to help fight the dragons. Now, he sees her all bloodied and wounded with these…Protoss as the figure said. Ultear looked at him.

"S-sorry Jellal. G-got c-caught." Said Ultear. She was sabotaging the vehicles that the army was bringing to the battle in the city when she was caught. She fought back but she was ultimately overwhelmed. She was then punched in the face for speaking.

"Do not talk, Terran!" Said one of the Protoss. Seeing this, Jellal stood up and looked at them in the eye.

"Release her!" Yelled out Jellal. The Protoss looked at him in amusement.

"They will not do so, Jellal. These are Tal'darim. They are not very cooperative." Said Artanis, remembering his interactions with Alarak.

"But I thought you said that the Tal'darim were your allies!" Yelled out Erza as she got up. She was still wounded from her battles in the Grand Magic Games but she can still fight.

"I did. But there are numerous factions that are not pleased with Alarak's rule." Explained Artanis.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Said Lily. Hearing the mention of Alarak, the leader, an ascendant, sneered.

"Alarak!?" Said the leader. "That fool is still high lord!? How is he not dead yet?" Asked the ascendant.

"Alarak is more powerful than you know, Tal'darim. Before we battle Tal'darim. Why are you here with the Zerg?" Asked Artanis.

"*scoffs* I will tell you because you all will be dead soon. Ma'lash gave us a secret mission that was kept out from all but his most loyal followers. He ordered a portion of the death fleet along with some of Amon's harbingers, Terran forces, and Zerg to investigate a world filled with Xel'naga artifacts. We stayed in that world until an artifact activated and sent us here. Now, we will take this world in the name of Amon." Said the ascendant. "The time of explanation is over. Surrender and we will spare this Terran." Said the ascendant as he fired psionic lighting at Ultear, making her scream in pain. Seeing this, Jellal summoned his magic but stopped as the ascendant just increased the power of his attack. Everyone else was hesitant to act. The Tal'darim will kill Ultear if they tried to save her. And they also can't surrender because the Tal'darim will just kill them and they weren't sure if the ascendant will keep his word. Artanis was about to offer a parlay when Alarak suddenly appeared in the Tal'darim group and slashed at the guards holding Ultear, killing them. He then grabbed Ultear and dashed toward Artanis.

"These Terrans always need saving." Said Alarak as his group along with Flare and Meredy arrived. Meredy rushed toward Ultear and held her, crying her eyes out. Alarak looked at the two and felt a strange emotion. It soon disappeared and he looked the Tal'darim. "You believe I am weak?" Asked Alarak, mockingly. "Then allow me to show you how "weak" I am." Said Alarak as he ignited his bane blades. The Tal'darim ignited theirs as well and charged at Alarak. The Tal'darim warriors despite outnumbering Alarak fell one by one due to his superior skills. After killing the last one, Alarak turned to the ascendant who used his psionics in a mind blast against Alarak. He grunted in pain before rushing at the ascendant. He slashed at the ascendant who growled in pain at the searing hot plasma breaking his shields in an instant and making contact with his neck. "This is how weak I am." Said Alarak mockingly as he finished off his opponent. He rolled his eyes as he saw the horrified or shocked looks of the Terrans. "They would have killed you and none of you were willing to do what must be done in a battle. I merely did what you could not." Said Alarak. He turned to Artanis. "You should stop being around them, Artanis. You may catch their desire to not kill." Said Alarak. Erza and Lily widened their eyes at this. They look to see Artanis look at them with a look that says they will talk later. He then turned to Alarak.

"Do not presume you can command me to choose who I associate with." Said Artanis. "How did you fare against the snipers?" Asked Artanis.

"*Scoffs* The cowards are in hiding. That is if I haven't already killed them already." Said Alarak. "I have to admit though, that Kamika is rather useful and unlike your Terrans is fine with killing. And her love for causing pain to others is a rather welcome sight to me. I never thought I see a Terran enjoy causing pain to others." Said Alarak. "But now is not the time to admire our allies. Now is the time to fight. And we will have a fight soon Artanis. The pink haired Terran said that Terran and Protoss forces will soon be upon us." Said Alarak pointing to Meredy and making Artanis widen his eyes in surprise at this information. "If you wish to save the guilds, we need reinforcements." Said Alarak.

"I know Alarak but our fleet is still disabled. Even with Karax, I fear that we will all be dead before reinforcements arrive. But we will fight until the end." Said Artanis. "But if we are to survive, we need to get the guilds in one place." Said Artanis. They were about to leave when a dragon appeared before them. It roared before trying to squash them. Everyone managed to get out of the way just in time. Alarak then ignited his bane blades before charging at the beast. He slashed at its legs, making it roar in pain at the contact. It then tried to squash Alarak but due to his smaller size and speed, Alarak dodged every attempt and attacked the dragon. It wasn't long until Artanis came to assist and he used a psionic enhanced jump to get on top of the dragon before beginning to slash at its vulnerable neck. The wizards were in awe as they watched this happen. They knew that the two Protoss leaders were brave but they never thought it was to the point of attacking something that was far stronger and bigger than them. They were also shocked at the fight that something other than dragon slaying magic was hurting the dragons. Such a thing was thought to be impossible yet they were seeing it happen right before their eyes. Seeing such bravery and courage before her inspired Erza to follow the two leaders in battle. She wasn't going to be some damsel in distress. Holding her sword, she charged at the dragon and began to fight it. Seeing this, the others followed Erza to battle. Even if their attacks were ineffective against the dragon, they could at least distract the dragon so the two Protoss leaders can damage it. And so they all fought side by side with each other. Seeing this made Artanis remember all the times when Protoss and Terrans fought side by side with each other during the Great wars. The battle of Aiur, the battle of Korhal, and the final fight against Amon to name a few. All were examples of the two races putting aside their differences to fight a common enemy. And now it was happening again now. Funny at how war can do such a thing. Artanis then stabbed the dragon's left eye, making to roar in pain and anger at losing one of its eyes. It began to shake to get rid of Artanis but Artanis just held on by grabbing the Dragon's eyelid. He then began to stab the eye over and over again until the dragon flew up and took Artanis with him. It went upside down in an attempt to get Artanis off of him. It worked but Artanis simply teleported to the dragon's neck and began to slash at it as the dragon went upside right. The neck already received minor damage from Artanis's previous attacks but it wasn't enough to slay the dragon. Artanis then got an idea so insane that his friend Raynor would be proud. He then began to climb to the dragon's other eye, struggling to stay on as the dragon attempted to shake Artanis off. Eventually he made it to the eye. He then grabbed the eye with his hand before exerting enormous psionic power to the eye. The dragon roared in pain before trying to grab Artanis with its hand so he can crush him. Artanis, however, teleported to the other eye and did the same before going to the dragon's head. Artanis then summoned all his remaining psionic energy, even the psionic energy used to power his shields, as his back mounted device amplified his psionic energy. He then slammed it all into one point on the dragon, piercing it's hide and destroying its brain. The dragon let out a dying roar before plummeting to the ground. Artanis held on as best he could but his last attack drained him of his energy. Despite his weakened state he held on until the dragon made a rough landing, causing him to let go and crash into the floor some distance from the carcass. He groaned in pain as laid on the ground. He then heard footsteps and saw a dragon hatchling looking at him. It then opened its mouth, intending to kill the hierarch, but was stopped when Kagura slashed it in half. She looked at Artanis with concern as she helped him up. The others arrived soon after with Cosmos helping Kagura with carrying Artanis.

"Are you alright?" Asked Kagura worryingly.

"Yes. I just need some time to rest." Said Artanis as he panted. Alarak looked at Artanis in both respect and amusement.

"You impress me, hierarch. You just killed a dragon when the dragon slayers themselves haven't. Perhaps you should be called a dragon slayer instead." Said Alarak as he along with everyone else looked at the carcass. They all saw what happened and they were, except Alarak, were shocked beyond belief that Artanis had just finished off a dragon by himself. A feat that was thought to be impossible for someone that had no dragon slaying magic yet they all saw it with their own eyes. Granted, Artanis was exhausted from doing so but it was still impressive. This caused some of them to worry about the power of the Protoss and what would happen if they became enemies.

"Yeah. You were amazing doing that." Said Cosmos as she struggled to hold Artanis. "Can you do the same with the other dragons?"

"No." Said Artanis, exhaustingly. "Slaying that dragon caused me to use up all my energy. I won't be of any assistance for a while."

"That's just great." Said Kamika, sarcastically. "Can we have some good news for once this day?" As soon as she said that a group of Terran Vikings appeared out of the sky and landed close to them. The Vikings looked at them before revving up their guns.

"You had to open your mouth." Said Cosmos, making Kamika glare at her teammate in annoyance. Meanwhile Karax was in the Spear of Adun's Force support section, doing what the mysterious message told him to do. He hoped that this will work and not backfire on him. If it worked it will save the Terrans and the hierarch or fail and cause the destruction of the fleet. As he was about to finish he made a prayer to Adun before pressing a button. The entire Force support cluster glowed violently before unleashing a fierce wave of energy that soon consumed the entire Spear of Adun and a handful of ships in range. Seeing that he was still alive, Karax contacted the bridge.

"What is the status of the ship?" Asked Karax. Praying that it worked.

"The ship is fully operational, phase smith. We can now send reinforcement to the hierarch. Not only that but several ships have been caught in the blast as well and the report that their systems are operational as well." Said a crew member. Karax breathed a sigh of relief, thanking whoever that send that message. Now the hard part is upon them.

"Good. Now, quickly send in reinforcements to the native Terrans and Artanis. Order the same with any other active vessels. Hurry!" Ordered Karax.

"Yes, phase smith!" Said the crew member before cutting the transmission so he can prepare to warp in the waiting troops to battle. As this was happening Karax contacted Talandar and informed him of the good news.

"Excellent, my friend!" Exclaimed Talandar as he was waiting along with the rest of the troops that will go first to reinforce the hierarch. "Now is the time to show these dragons the power of the first-born!" Yelled out Talandar as he deployed his wrist blades. He then turned to address the first wave of troops. They were a mix of Nerazim, Khala, and Purifiers warriors. They also had immortal, Reaver, and Colossi support as well as air support from void rays, carriers, and motherships that were stored in the Spear of Adun. "Brothers, hear me! We will be the first ones to be deployed to assist the Terrans native to this world as well as the hierarch. As well as the dragons that are attacking our allies we will be facing Zerg, Protoss, and Terran forces that are allied with Amon but do not allow that to discourage you. We have faced similar odds before in the battle with Amon and the battle for Aiur. We may die today but we will die in the name of the innocent and for the weak. Fight on! En Taro Artanis!" Yelled out Talandar.

"EN TARO ARTANIS!" Yelled out the warriors. The warriors were then warped in to several locations where the fighting was thickest.

* * *

 **Crocus**

* * *

Alzack was being held to the ground along with his wife, Bisca, while his daughter was being held by a man in a high tech suit as another put a bullet in a pistol he was carrying.

"You harm my daughter and you'll regret it!" Yelled Alzack as pressured was being put on his arms by a man in a very large suit of armor. The two man just ignored him and the one holding the gun pointed it at Asuka who was shaking in fear. The couple widen their eyes in horror at this, now knowing the man's intentions.

"No please don't!" Begged Bisca. "She's just a little girl! Kill us instead!" The man just looked at them and replied.

"We will but we'll start with the child first." Said the man as he pressed the barrel of his gun at Asuka's forehead. The couple struggled against the men that were holding them down, begging them to stop and spare Asuka but were being ignored. The man was about to fire at Asuka when a flash of green light appeared out of nowhere and stabbed him in his chest. Soon the men holding the family were also stabbed and they all fell to the ground. After recovering from their shock the couple ran up to Asuka and embraced her tightly, comforting their daughter as well as themselves that Asuka was alright. Alzack then heard a noise and saw several of those Protoss around them. Having heard and saw Protoss forces working with the dragons and these soldiers, He was about to attack them when they all held their hands up to signify they meant no harm.

"At ease. Member of Fairy Tail." Said one of the dark Templar. "We come to help you. We know that some of our kind are fighting against you but they are not with the Daelaam. The Daelaam are fighting with you. You are distrustful of us now, I know but allow us to fight with you." Said the Dark Templar as he ignited his warp blade with his brothers doing the same. Alzack looked at his wife and daughter. They both looked at him and nodded their heads. Seeing that they trust the Protoss, Alzack looked at the dark Templar.

"Alright but if any of you betray us, you'll be sorry." Said Alzack. The leading Dark Templar nodded and held out his hand. Alzack grabbed it and stood up. The two nodded and soon the group went back to the fray. Meanwhile Elfman and Lisanna were fighting dragon hatchling and Zerg with the help of Talandar and several purifier sentinels. The two were shocked when these machines appeared in a flash of light and began to help them fight off both the Zerg and dragon hatchlings. As they were fighting, the two siblings were impressed at the skill and power the purifiers had.

"Man! You guys are MANLY!" Yelled out Elfman as he punched dragon hatchlings and Zerglings away from him.

"Manly?" Asked Talandar as he slashed a dragon hatchling in half.

"He says that all the time." Said Lisanna as she fought off Zerglings. The sentinels were also fighting off the Zerglings, killing many of them. One of them exploded violently due to receiving too much damage but much to the surprise of Elfman and Lisanna the sentinel just rebuilt itself together and continued fighting. "Wow! Can you do that?" Asked Lisanna to Talandar.

"You know, I don't know." Said Talandar, wondering if he should check later and see if he can reconstruct himself. In another area the remaining members of mermaid heel watched as several Protoss immortals dealt with Terran goliaths that the girls were having trouble with. They were in awe at the amount of fire power the immortals had and how much damage they can take.

"Golly! We should get one of these for our guild!" Said a short girl with red hair and freckles.

"Yeah we should! These things pack a punch!" Commented a fat girl with black hair. A tall girl with green hair in massive dreadlocks. The three watched as the immortals finished off the goliaths. One of them approached them and said in a deep voice.

"Are you all alright?" Asked the immortal. The three were shocked that it can speak but shrugged it off and said that they were alright. "Then follow us. There are more that need to be eliminated." Said the immortal before following the rest of his group. The girls soon followed the immortals.

"You know, getting rescued from a dark guild member I can behind." Said Ren, a blue Pegasus member to his team. "But getting rescued by giant metal slugs that spew out blue balls that explode? That draws the line." Said Ren as he saw Protoss Reavers destroy groups of Dragon hatchlings with ease.

"Men. But it is fortunate that they came when they did. Those dragons would have overwhelmed us." Said Ichiya. "But to be rescued by something so revolting, bring shame to my pride." Said Ichiya as he clenched his chest and began to cry in a comical way. Jenny just sighed at this before smiling at her team leader, comforting him along with everyone else as he cried out at how slugs saved them. Meanwhile the future Rogue was looking in dismay at the arrival of Protoss reinforcements.

"Impossible! They were not supposed to be here yet!" Yelled out Rogue. "This ruins everything!"

"Heads up!" Rogue looked up and saw Natsu falling down from the dragon he acquired somehow. He came so suddenly, that Rogue didn't have time to react as Natsu slammed his fist into his face. He was thrown back because of the force but got back up and glared at Natsu. Natsu smirked as he looked down to see the tide was turning as he saw Protoss warships appear and began to fight the dragons. He was of course shocked at the sudden arrival of the ships and how they all surpassed the dragons in size but ignored it as they began to fight off the dragons. The dragons after seeing the warships began to attack them but were surprised that the warships were shielded and were either attacking them with beams of light that melted their hide and caused burns or sending out small fighters that swarmed them. And whenever they did bring down the shields the ships simply warped out of danger and appeared somewhere safe. This didn't work all the time however as the one dragon managed to grab one ship, a void ray to be specific, and crunched into it causing it to suddenly explode and damage the dragon. Another dragon slammed into another void ray and caused it to crash into another, destroying both. Seeing this, the void rays ganged up on the dragons and concentrated their fire power. It worked and a dragon fell. Seeing this, Natsu was in disbelief that a dragon fell because of that but then grinned as it meant that they had a chance now. He then looked at the future Rogue.

"Looks like we have a chance now." Said Natsu as he cracked his knuckles.

"*scoffs* Even with the Protoss, this changes nothing. I still have a few tricks up my sleeves." Said Rogue as he charged at Natsu. The two then began to fight each other again as their dragons began to fight against each other. As this was happening the leader of Amon's forces growled in anger at the arrival of the Protoss. It should have seen this coming. The Protoss always seemed to find a way to prevail. Nevertheless, it planned for this. It already had several contingencies so that he will rule this planet and there was nothing the Protoss could do to stop it. But…he supposed he could have a bit of fun first. He looked down to see Artanis being tended to by the pink-haired hungry wolf knight and the swordswoman of Mermaid heel.

* * *

 **Artanis's POV**

* * *

"Thank Adun that reinforcements have arrived." Said Artanis as he saw Alarak and everyone else fighting against the dragon hatchlings and Amon's followers along with much needed reinforcements.

"Yeah. I guess we won. Right?" Asked Cosmos as she and Kagura laid Artanis down.

"There is still a battle going on. We must join the battle." Said Kagura.

"But we just can't leave Artanis like this. He can't defend himself." Said Cosmos.

"I will be alright Cosmos." Said Artanis. "As soon as I regain my strength, I will fight again." Cosmos looked reluctant on leaving him as well as Kagura but they both knew that they had to help.

"You won't get the chance." Said a raspy voice and in a flash of darkness, a hybrid dominator appeared before them but in was unlike the other dominators in that it glowed brighter and had a more dark green color to it. "You ruined my plans and know I will turn you to dust, Artanis." Said the dominator as it used its psionics on Cosmos and Kagura, trapping them in place. The two struggled to break free from the hybrid's grip but were unable to do so. The hybrid then swiped his hand and caused the two women to be flung across the area and into a wall. The wall soon collapsing on top of them soon after. Artanis glared at the hybrid before attempting to get up. The hybrid chuckled at Artanis's attempt to get up before grabbing him and throwing him to a wall. It then grabbed Artanis telekinetically before crashing him left and right to the ground as hard as he could. It stopped when it fired psionic lighting against Artanis and throwing him to the ground. Artanis struggled to get up as blood dripped from multiple wounds all over his body. He panted in exhaustion as he looked at the dragon before igniting a psi blade. "*Laughs*You think you can beat me in your weaken state?" Asked the dominator.

"No. I know that I cannot beat you in my state right now but I will still fight." Said Artanis as he struggled to stay awake. He was far too weak to use his astral wind ability otherwise he would have used it by now. The dominator chuckled in amusement and was about to attack Artanis again before a plant attacked him causing him to crash to a wall. It growled in annoyance and looked to see Kagura coming right at him with her sword. The sword bounced back due to his psionic barrier. The hybrid attempted to grab her but she got away just in time. It growled before looking at Artanis and saw Cosmos grabbing him and leaving the area via a plant. It growled in anger and psionically grabbed Kagura. It moved his hand so that Kagura would get closer to him. She stayed defiant, not showing any sign of fear as she looked at the dominator in the eyes.

"You caused me to lose my opportunity to kill Artanis." The dominator said. "As a result, I'll make you endure pain you cannot comprehend." Kagura still looked defiant. She didn't want to give this monster the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. It chuckled as it saw this. "I didn't just mean physical torture but also psychological torture." Said the dominator as he eyes glowed brighter than they normally do. After a few minutes, Kagura started screaming and begging the dominator to stop. It chuckled as this happened. As Kagura's mind was being tortured, the dominator then slammed her to the ground and began to shock her with psionic lighting. It chuckled in sadistic pleasure as Kagura screamed in both physical and psychological pain. It was about to increase the force of psionic lighting when he was suddenly pushed back when someone slammed into him, making him stop. It growled in surprise when he saw Artanis. Back in perfect condition. It growled in annoyance as it saw this, knowing how Artanis was back to full health so quickly. It then looked to see Cosmos tending to Kagura, who was a whimpering mess. She glared at him before grabbing Kagura and fleeing to safety with Kagura. The dominator growled in anger as it pushed Artanis away from him. The two then looked at each other before attacking each other. Artanis teleported close to the hybrid's back, slashing at the back but the barrier of psionic energy prevented him from damaging the hybrid. The hybrid attempted to grab Artanis but couldn't due to Artanis's speed or him teleporting from the spot. So the two went into a snail pace as Artanis slowly destroyed the hybrid's barriers with the hybrid unable to land a hit on Artanis. Soon the barrier was destroyed, allowing Artanis to damage the hybrid by slicing one of the hybrid's back tentacles. It growled in anger before luckily grabbing Artanis's head. It then began to squish it, intending to crush Artanis's head but was stop when something cut the hand that held Artanis's head. It growled in pain as it looked around to see who did it before seeing Alarak and the rest of the Terrans that accompanied the two Protoss leaders in a battle ready stance.

"You truly are a fool if you intended to attack a hybrid in your weakened state, Artanis." Said Alarak. "And besides, you had your glory. Now let me have some glory for myself." Said Alarak as he ignited his bane blades. The rest of the group as well got ready for a fight with the hybrid. Kamika noticed that Cosmos and Kagura weren't with Artanis and got worried.

"Where's Cosmos and that girl that was with you, Artanis?" Asked Kamika.

"Their safe but Kagura is out of action. This hybrid damaged her mentally as well as physically by attacking her with psionic lighting and I suspect by showing her worst fears." Said Artanis, making Kamika both relieved and shock at this information as well as everyone else. Erza glared at the hybrid when she heard this.

"Is this true?" Asked Erza with barely controlled anger.

"*Chuckles* Yes. I showed that Terran her worst fears and nightmares. I suspect that she won't be the same again." Said the Dominator. Erza as well as Millianna glared at the hybrid with untold amounts of anger. Out of anger, Millianna pounced at the hybrid but it grabbed and proceeded to slash her in the stomach and neck before slamming her multiple times to the ground. Before anyone can do anything, he psionically grabbed everyone else. Alarak got away, however, by teleporting out of the way and slashing at the dominator's chest. It growled before throwing Kamika at Alarak. He grabbed Kamika and dropped her roughly on the ground so he can continue fighting. The dominator kept throwing people at Alarak but Alarak just blinked out of the way and continued to fight the dominator. With it distracted, Artanis stabbed the dominator at the back of its neck as Alarak did the same on the front. It roared in anger at this before pushing both Protoss leaders away from him. "If I'm going to die, I'm taking you all with me!" Yelled the Dominator before glowing brightly.

"He's going to blow!" Yelled out Artanis as everyone ran to get away from the blast. However, Erza ran toward the hybrid to grab Millianna as she was too close to the hybrid. Unfortunately, the hybrid soon exploded, causing everyone to be pushed back further due to the force of the blast. After a few seconds of laying on the ground. Everyone looked to see that the hybrid left a large crater from where he exploded. Artanis looked to Flare, Kamika, and Meredy near Alarak as he got up. He then heard a scream and looked to see Erza crying. He rushed over to see why. Millianna had several pieces of rubble impeded on her heavily burned back because of the hybrid's suicide. Not to mention all the other wounds the hybrid caused. He walked over and checked for a pulse. He found none. He looked at Erza before shaking his head, causing her to cry and hug the dead body of her friend. Artanis looked to see Jellal looking at the tragic moment with a look of sadness and regret as well. Artanis then walked over to him.

"Go to her." Said Artanis to Jellal. Jellal looked at him in shock. "Go to her and comfort her. She needs it from a loved one." Explained Artanis.

"I can't." Said Jellal looking away from the tragic moment as everyone else was feeling sympathy for Erza. "She shouldn't be comforted by someone who caused her pain." Said Jellal with regret. Artanis knew what Jellal meant and tried to convince him.

"She doesn't care of what you did in the past. She forgives what you done." Said Artanis. "I have done similar acts as you have but I choose to continue live on in their name because they would not have wanted me to keep regretting my past actions for the rest of my life. You should as well. Right now, your friend is in pain and needs comfort. I believe you are the most qualified to do so." Said Artanis. "Do it for her." Said Artanis. Jellal looked at him before going into thought. After a few minutes of thinking he went over and comforted Erza. She grabbed him and cried into his chest after some exchange between the two. Artanis looked warily at the scene. He had seen it many times in his lifetime and it still hurt him. He knew that there were many more to come from this after this is all over. He then felt a massive earthquake. Everyone else was surprised at this as well and wondered what caused it. The group was soon saw a Nydus worm come out of the ground in a golden glow before suddenly disappearing, shocking the group. They all looked in the sky to see the dragons that were airborne also disappearing. The group processed this for a few minutes before Kamika shook off her stupor.

"Does this mean we won?" Asked Kamika to no one in particular.

"It appears to be so." Said Artanis, looking at the damages in the city. The group felt a great relief at this but were unable to celebrate due to what happened. Erza brushed off the few remaining tears away before getting up.

"We should help find any wounded." Said Erza as she left. The group looked at her retreating form with concern and pity.

"Will she be alright?" Asked Artanis to Jellal.

"She will. Just give her time." Said Jellal looking at the body of Millianna with regret and sadness.

"Would you like me to carry her body to her guild?" Asked Artanis. Jellal nodded and Artanis grabbed the body and walked with the group to find Mermaid heel. Alarak looked at Artanis for a few moments before following, deciding to keep his mouth shut for the moment. As this was happening a figure watched the ruined city with both relief and sadness. It was relieved that the day was won but it was also sad at how many died to secure it. It knew that there will be more deaths to come in the following mouths to come. It then walked away from the scene.

* * *

 **So, here it is. The day was won but at a great cost to the wizard guilds, royal army, and magic council. There will be character deaths here as seen with Millianna but they have to be minor characters for now. There may or may not be any major deaths. I haven't decided yet. Anyway, next chapter will not be the party due to people mourning the dead, Protoss fully revealing themselves and people wanting to know about them, romance advancements, etc. Read, Rate, and Review. And I will see you all next time.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Mourning and comfort**

* * *

 **Crocus**

* * *

What should have been a time of celebrations has become a time of mourning and grieving. Wizards, royal soldiers, and magic council rune knights were searching everywhere for the wounded and dead. Those that were found alive were being treated for their wounds. The dead were being covered up so they can be later transported for a proper funeral. The Terrans of Fiore were surprised but grateful to see that the creatures that assisted them in the final moments of the battle were helping them tend to the wounded and clearing the rubble. The massive warships that the creatures brought were staying in the air above the city in case any danger approaches. The creatures also brought their healers to help with the wounded, a good sign to the healers they had. Despite this help, a few were wary about them because they had fought or saw them kill their comrades in cold blood but kept quiet. As all this was happening, Alarak was silently observing Daelaam healers helping the Terrans with their wounded. He was a little annoyed that only the Daelaam were in the fight and not his own brethren but he concluded it was for the best. It would have cause mass confusion and perhaps even more problems than there are now. He even had to hide himself due to him looking similar to the Tal'darim that fought in this battle against the Terrans. Still, the Tal'darim that serve him had to eventually show themselves and they would have to deal with the backlash later on because of the similarities. The Daelaam were receiving the same backlash now if the stares of contempt and suspicion from some of the Terrans were any indication. Not that Alarak cared. If the Terrans of this world wanted to fight them, then let them. They will all die as a result.

"Why are you hiding?" Alarak looked to his left and saw Kamika approaching him.

"You know why." Said Alarak as he went back observing. "These fools will mistake me as an enemy and try to fight me. I rather not deal with fools trying to attack me all night." Kamika smirked at this. The conversations she had with Alarak were amusing. She then walked up and was right beside him. She looked at him, comparing her height with his. She was relatively tall for a woman but Alarak dwarfed even Neppa in height. She couldn't help but wonder why his species was so tall or why they had glowing eyes. She then decided to continue their conversation.

"You know, I can put a good word for you. It might help you with the Magic council and royal family." Said Kamika. Alarak then looked at her. Seeing that he was looking at her, she continued. "C'mon. An unknown alien fleet shows up and starts to help us right after people of their own species attacks us. The magic council will want to know more about your kind. Especially with all your technology and abilities. And don't get me started with the royal family." Explained Kamika. Alarak just scoffed after taking this all in. To be honest, he never thought about that and is beginning to dread it. He hated politics. There was too much hand holding and politeness for his liking in it. He rather spill the blood of his enemies than attend such trivial matters.

"That is Artanis's problem. Not mine." Said Alarak.

"He'll dragged you into it you know." Said Kamika. Alarak growled, knowing that she was right. Artanis had better make those meetings short as possible or else someone dies. A few moments passed before Kamika coughed. Alarak looked at her, annoyed that she wanted to continue talking. "So, I wanted to thank you for earlier." Said Kamika, blushing a bit and was rubbing one of her sandals against the ground. Alarak raised his brow, wondering what she was talking about. "You know, the whole robe thing." Clarified Kamika. "I rather not have fought with my clothes coming off." Said Kamia. Embarrassed that they were talking about this. Alarak just scoffed.

"Then perhaps you should wear something different." Said Alarak. Kamika considered this before dropping it. She liked her outfit, no matter how easy it was to remove.

"So, you were enjoying yourself during the battle." Said Kamika. "I take it you enjoy killing and inflicting pain to your enemy."

"Yes. It is amusing to see the life burn away whenever I slay my enemies." Said Alarak. "It's even more enjoyable when it is done slowly." Said Alarak, sparking Kamika's interest.

"Yeah. It kind of is." Said Kamika. It was no secret that she was a sadist. She enjoyed inflicting pain to her enemies. "It's even more enjoyable when it's someone you despise with all your being." Said Kamika.

"*Chuckles darkly* Yes it is." Agrees Alarak, remembering when he killed Ma'lash and how much joy he felt when doing so. "It is the ultimate pleasure to me. Killing one that has wronged me." Said Alarak. Kamika smirked. She was starting to enjoy being around Alarak. She finally had someone that shared her views. Artanis meanwhile was looking as the members of Mermaid Heel were crying or were choking up tears at the covered body of their team mate. That was not the only thing that they were upset about Kagura was in the infirmary as well. Their strongest teammate was down and they couldn't do anything about it. They cursed themselves for not being there and letting all this happen. Artanis was looking at the three with sympathetic eyes. He seen this happen before. Both in Terrans and his own people. It even occurred to himself when he slain Zeratul and when Tassadar sacrificed himself. He remembered staying inside his chambers for an entire day, crying and thinking of what he could have done to prevent those events. He still wonders what he could have done to prevent their deaths. But now was not the time for that. Now was the time to help the Terrans of this world. He walked up to the three women and spoke.

"May I excuse myself?" Asked Artanis. "I wish to see Kagura." The chubby Terrans looked up at the being that brought back Millianna's dead body and nodded. Artanis bowed respectfully and went to the tent that had Kagura inside it. He went inside and saw that Kagura was sitting on her berth alone while the healers were tending to other patients. Wendy, upon seeing Artanis, ran up to him.

"Is there anyone that needs assistance?" Asked Wendy, concerned that more people needed help. Artanis looked at Wendy with sad eyes. He was sad that such a young girl was seeing all this. He knew that she wanted to help and that her magic was invaluable right now but it still saddened him that someone so young was seeing such horrifying things this day, which undoubtedly happened with the battle against the forces of Amon and the dragons.

"No. There isn't." Said Artanis. Seeing that Wendy looked a little exhausted, Artanis asked a question. "Do you need assistance from me?" Asked Artanis. He could use his Astral Winds to heal everyone here. Wendy brightened at the question.

"Yes, of course! You can use that ability of yours, right?" Asked Wendy. She heard about Artanis having such an ability from Cosmos and Kagura. She was amazed at such an ability and it could really help right now.

"Yes, I can." Said Artanis. "I can use it right now if you like." Said Artanis. Wendy nodded eagerly. Artanis then proceeded to use his Astral wind ability and healed everyone in the vicinity. Everyone but Kagura and Wendy were shocked and amazed at such an ability having ever seen such a thing in their lives. "You are all healed now." Said Artanis as he looked around the tent. "Now I ask you all to help others in need. If you must need rest, take as much as you need before proceeding to help others in dire need." Said Artanis. The healers and recently healed wounded looked at each other, wondering if they should do what Artanis says, until one got up and went outside to help others. Everyone else soon followed leaving Wendy, Artanis, and Kagura inside the tent. Seeing that Kagura was unmoving, Artanis asked Wendy what it is the problem. Wendy then donned a sad face.

"She's not in a good mood." Said Wendy. "It's about Millianna." Explained Wendy. Artanis then nodded, understanding her pain. She lost a friend this day and wasn't there to protect her. Who wouldn't be upset that they lost a friend when they could have prevented it? "We tried to help her but she keeps pushing us away." Said Wendy.

"I understand." Said Artanis. "You go and help whoever you can, Wendy. I'll see if I can help Kagura." Said Artanis. Wendy nodded. Wishing Artanis good luck as she left. Artanis then walked over to Kagura and saw that her bangs were covering her eyes and that her hair was disheveled. He sat on the berth, next to Kagura. Artanis waited for a few moments before striking a conversation. "Kagura." Started Artanis. No response. "I know you are hurting from the loss of your friend." Said Artanis. Still no response. "And I want to help you recover from this. As both an ally and as someone who experienced what you are experiencing now." Said Artanis. All he got was a slight stiffening from Kagura. He sighed before touching Kagura's face and turning it so she can see him. She didn't stop him and looked at him with her blood shot eyes. A result from crying. He looked at her for a few moments before resuming. "I don't wish to use this but would your friend, Millianna, wish to see you like this?" Asked Artanis. Kagura widened her eyes at the mention of Millianna. Artanis then continued, seeing that he had a reaction from her. "I don't believe that Millianna would like to see you in such a state, I believe…" He didn't get to say much as Kagura leaped at him with her hands on his neck. The force of the attack caused the two to get out of the berth and to the floor.

"DON'T SAY HER NAME!" Yelled Kagura as she put pressure on Artanis's neck. Artanis widened his eyes at this attitude before psionically forcing her off him and holding her in place.

"Kagura, calm down!" Said Artanis as he got up and looked at her in the eyes. Kagura looked and had a murderous aura around her. He sighed, knowing why she was acting like this. "I know why you are acting this way." Said Artanis. "You are blaming me for the death of your friend. Is that correct?" Asked Artanis. Seeing that Kagura was silent and was looking at him more murderously, confirmed his suspicion. "I see. I know that you hate me now for not saving your friend and I understand why. I could have easily prevented your friend's death but I didn't and I regret it. But I know that you are also blaming yourself for her death. You are angry at not being able to prevent her death yourself and for not being there when it happened." Said Artanis as Kagura calmed down slightly. "I understand that pain. I told you before that I killed a close friend of mine before and how I was unable to prevent it from happening. I hated myself for doing it and still do but I didn't allow that hate to consume me. I wish to help you in order to prevent the hate that surrounds you from consuming you. I know that both your brother and Millianna wouldn't want you to become a monster." Said Artanis. Kagura looked at him before starting to tear up. He let go of her and Kagura went into a crumpled mess, crying quite loudly. Artanis then picked her up and hugged her, comforting her as she cried on his chest. This went on for a few minutes before Kagura stopped and looked at Artanis in the eyes.

"Forgive me. Please!" Begged Kagura. "I'm sorry for trying to kill you. I wasn't in control of my emotions." Said Kagura. Artanis looked at her before nodding. He then wiped a few tears from Kagura's face before placing her on a berth.

"Do you need anything?" Asked Artanis. She looked at him before replying.

"Yes. Could you stay with me for a bit?" Asked Kagura, blushing a bit at her own request. Artanis looked at her before complying. He sat on her berth and looked at Kagura. He was surprised when Kagura wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself closer to him. She then placed her head on his shoulder. Artanis remained silent as she did this. Meanwhile, unknown to the two, Cosmos was peeking at them with one of her plants. To say that Cosmos was angry was an understatement. She was angry that Kagura was getting special treatment from Artanis. Not only that but she felt a foreign feeling inside her that made her want to hurt Kagura so bad. She knew what it was and it both shocked and excited her. It was jealously. Meanwhile Meredy was watching as the Lamia Scale Guild mourn the loss of several of their members including the loss of one of their wizards that participated in the games, the one that was concerned with his sock. While he was stupid, he was still a good friend to them. The master said some words before ordering some of her wizards to take the bodies to a safe place so they can later take them home with them. Meredy looked on with sadness as this happened. All this reminded her of her tragic past. She helped form Crime Sorcière to prevent things like this from happening but it seems all their efforts were all for naught. People were still suffering, losing friends and family, or worse. It seems not matter what, there will always be suffering.

"Observing the funeral for an idiot, Terran." Meredy turned around to see Alarak coming right at her. After he was done talking with Kamika, he decided to leave and explore. He wanted to see how the various guilds were reacting to the death and destruction around them. So far, they were all mourning the loss of their comrades and were comforting each other. Even the sabretooth guild was mourning their dead. He was about to find Artanis when he saw Meredy and decided to speak with her. Meredy, herself however, was a little nervous on being alone for him. Jellal was, with some prodding from Artanis and Erza's friends, comforting Erza over the loss of Millianna. Ultear was in one of the tents for her injuries. She made sure that it was filled with only members of Fairy Tail and was reinsured that they won't allow anyone inside.

"Yeah." Said Meredy as he towered over her and looked at her with his red eyes. She was unnerved with the way they glowed and how unfriendly they were but she kept her cool. "He fought his hardest in the battle. His comrades are honoring him for his bravery."

"*Scoffs* Why bother? The idiot was weak. His guild should just leave his corpse as food for scavengers." Said Alarak. This caused Meredy to glare at him.

"How dare you." Whispered Meredy. She couldn't yell out for else people would investigate and when they saw her and Alarak, they will attack them and try to arrest them. "He fought with courage and heart. He deserves respect."

"*Chuckles* I have to commend you for talking back. Your bravery is commendable." Said Alarak. Shocking Meredy as he just complimented her. "But I stand what I say. The dead should not get recognition. The living should. They were strong enough to do their tasks and come back alive. They deserve the recognition. Not the dead." Said Alarak. Meredy then frowned at this. She was starting to dislike Alarak more and more as time goes on. He was an absolute jerk and tyrant that will swept aside those that he deems weak. If he wasn't so powerful and was an ally to Artanis, she would try and bring him to justice. But for now, she had to deal with him.

"Even the dead deserve recognition, Alarak" Said Meredy. "If it weren't for them, the living may not have come back alive. Sometimes the dead sacrifice themselves to allow others to live." Alarak just laughed at this.

"Perhaps but sometimes the dead die by stupid ways or just die rather conveniently. As if someone orchestrated it." Said Alarak. "But enough of what we believe in treating the dead, it is growing tiresome and I wish to talk about something else." Said Alarak as he turned to observe the Lamia Scale guild leave with their dead friend before turning back to Meredy. "Why do you fight with the person that caused you much pain? Better yet, why do you treat her like your mother and not despise her and try and kill her for destroying your village?" Asked Alarak. Meredy turned toward him. Shocked at him knowing her relationship with Ultear and what Ultear did to her village.

"How do you know that?" Asked Meredy.

"I read your mind, child." Said Alarak in a way as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You should try and train against mental probing." Advised Alarak. "You never know when someone has the ability to read minds." Meredy widened her eyes at this.

"Great." She thought. "Now, all my secrets are in danger." Meredy was a little nervous, wondering what else Alarak saw in head. Sensing this, Alarak responded.

"Don't be afraid, Terran. I won't reveal anything embarrassing. Unless you do something to aggravate me." Said Alarak. Meredy nodded. She didn't want Alarak to reveal anything embarrassing to anyone. "Good. Now that you understand, I want my question answered. Why do you treat the one responsible for your village's destruction as your mother and why did you not want revenge?" Asked Alarak.

"I don't want revenge because Ultear took me in and raised me." Explained Meredy. "She was the mother I never had. I barely know anything about my past before meeting her. I know next to nothing on friends or family. She was the only one in the dark guild I was in that was nice to me. The others just treated me like dirt or worse. She helped me with my magic, my studies, and my needs. So even if she caused my village's destruction I can't bring myself to hate her. She means too much to me." Said Meredy as a few tears were flowing down her face. She then looked up at Alarak, expecting him to chuckle and insult her, but was surprised to see Alarak was just staring at her, almost as if he was speechless. He then spoke.

"I see. Then you have my apology." Said Alarak. Meredy's mouth opened wide at this. She never expected Alarak to apologize. She shook off her stupor and asked him why. Alarak just scoffed and began to walk away. But before he did he said... "I apologizes because I didn't know how much your "mother" was to you." Said Alarak before leaving. Meredy was standing in place. Processing the information Alarak just gave her. After processing the information, she looked at the direction Alarak left.

"Did your own mother mean something to you?" Thought Meredy. She wondered if Alarak's own mother meant a great deal to him. She shook off her thoughts and went to the tent where Ultear was, wanting to be with her surrogate mother. Meanwhile Lucy was tending to the wounded. With all the wounded they had, the doctors and healers needed every hand they can get. And Lucy was eager to help. She was at first abhorred at the sight of the more serious wounded, even throwing up at some point, but she steeled herself and went to work. While she was walking to her next patient, she saw Protoss healers doing whatever they can to help the wounded. She was amazed at what they were doing. They had advanced machinery and medicine that healed wounds with ease or were healing the wounds with their bare hands. They did so by placing their hands on the wounds, then the hands will glow, and the wound was instantly healed. Such power reminded her of Wendy's and she wondered what else the Protoss can do. She finally found her patient and was surprised when it was Gray. Juvia was with him, tending to his wounds.

"Hey guys." Said Lucy, getting both of the wizard's attention.

"Hey Luce." Said Gray while holding his bandaged chest.

"Hello, love rival." Said Juvia. Lucy's eye twitched at this before proceeding to help Juvia with Gray. While the two ladies were tending to Gray, Juvia told Lucy of what happened. Lucy was both shocked and angry after Juvia finished. She was shocked that Gray was nearly killed and would have died if it wasn't for Alarak saving him. She was grateful to Alarak but she was also angry with him for what he said to Gray and Juvia and how he refused to save Gray at first but did so when one of the Hungry Wolf Knights made him do it via a favor. She wanted to go and teach him a lesson if it wouldn't get her killed. After the two was certain that Gray was fine at the moment, the two girls conversed with each other.

"So Alarak said that Gray doesn't love you and that he was a fool for saving you? And he also said that you're an idiot for not realizing Gray doesn't love you" Said Lucy angrily. Juvia nodded sadly. Lucy sighed before hugging Juvia. "Juvia. I'm not sure if Gray loves you that way but I'm sure that he cares for you. If he didn't he wouldn't have saved you. And who knows. Maybe Gray does love you and you both will have a great life together." Said Lucy as she and Juvia looked each other eyes. Juvia was crying tears of happiness with what Lucy said.

"Thank you, love rival." Said Juvia. "I needed that. I shouldn't listen to what Alarak says. He has no idea about feelings and love." Said Juvia. Lucy smiled at this, happy that Juvia was okay. The two were about to go check up on Gray when Natsu entered the tent.

"Hey Luce!" Said Natsu with a smile. "Hey Juvia." Said Natsu as he greeted Juvia. "Gray… you look pretty roughed up." Said Natsu. Gray just grunted and threatened Natsu. Natsu simply laughed it off before turning toward the girls. "So will he be alright?" Asked Natsu. The two girls nodded, making Natsu smile. His rival was going to be fine and ready to fight when he wanted to fight him. "So Lucy, about what Alarak said back in the palace." Said Natsu, rubbing the back of his head. "He said something about a guy putting his mouth in a girl's gland. What is that?" Asked Natsu. He was confused at what this all means. Lucy blushed beat red and so did Gray and Juvia.

"Why the hell would he say something like that!?" Yelled Gray.

"How should I know, Ice Queen?!" Yelled Natsu. "He said that was what he saw in Lucy's mind and it had something to do with me and her." Said Natsu. This made Lucy blush even harder. Juvia and Gray just gawked at this. They never thought their guild mate would have thoughts like that and with Natsu of all people. Juvia just squealed and thanked Lucy for choosing Natsu over Gray. "Also, Artanis says you want to be my mate. Is that true?" Asked Natsu. Lucy was stuttering madly as she tried to explain. Natsu was waiting for her answer and so was Juvia and Gray. After finally getting control of herself, Lucy sighed and nodded.

"I honestly don't know why but I do love you, Natsu." Said Lucy. "I don't know when it began but I believe it began during the whole Phantom guild feud and it just grew from there. Even though you're an idiot, I still liked how you cared for your friends, your ability to forgive others no matter what they did, and how you're able to cheer people up no matter how depressed they are. It's okay if you don't feel the same Natsu." Said Lucy. Natsu just kept quiet before saying something.

"Well Luce. I don't know what to say." Said Natsu. "Except for this." Lucy was waiting for what Natsu was about to say. "How do you do a date?" Asked Natsu. Lucy was surprised at this. She expected Natsu to reject her but he instead did something that she should have expected.

"So you love me too?" Asked Lucy nervously.

"To be honest, I don't know." Said Natsu. "I mean, I like you as a friend but I never thought of you as a mate. So maybe we go out on one of these dates people yap about and find out after it. How about that?" Asked Natsu.

"*Smiles* Sure but not right now. There's a lot of people that need help." Said Lucy, happy that she chance. Natsu nodded seriously. Now was not the time to out on a date.

"You need any help, Luce?" Asked Natsu. He was eager to help out with any problems his team has.

"Yeah. I need you to bring me these." Lucy then began to discuss with Natsu on what he can do to help. As they were talking Juvia was looking at Gray.

"Umm…Gray?" Asked Juvia.

"Yeah?" Asked Gray, turning toward Juvia.

"Can we go out on a date as well?" Asked Juvia. "It's okay if you don't want to." Gray just looked at her for a few moments before turning away.

"Name the time and place." Said Gray. "Just give me time to recover." Juvia was shocked at this before starting to squeal in joy. She put Gray in a tight hug. "Juvia! You're hurting me!" Said Gray as he felt the pressure Juvia was putting on his body. While this tender moment was happening Makarov was crying at the sight of a covered up body. This body belonged to a member of his guild after that person sacrificed himself to save others. He was proud at his child's actions but was saddened that the child's death.

"I take it this is one of your guild members?" Makarov turned around and saw Artanis. Makarov wiped his tears away and nodded. "Who is it?" Makarov sighed before looking back at the body.

"Nab Lasaro." Said Makarov. "He was one of my lazier children but he was still a part of the family."

"Why do you call him family?" Asked Artanis. He was wondering why Makarov kept referring those in his guild as children.

"Because in Fairy Tail, everyone is family. No matter what, they did in the past." Said Makarov. "And it tears my heart that one of my children was among the fallen." Makarov then began to cry more. Artanis looked at the small man in sadness, knowing what it felt like to lose someone of great importance to him. After Makarov recomposed himself again, he looked at Artanis. "Why are you here?"

"I wish to see the ally that I have made during this whole crisis and comfort him if he needs it." Said Artanis as he looked over to see more covered up bodies with more people crying over them. Makarov nodded in thanks before looking at the scene before him.

"It is a sad thing, is it not?" Asked Makarov as he looked at all the people crying and mourning the dead with sadness and pity.

"Yes it is." Said Artanis. "I have seen similar things before in my life. I have seen so much death and sadness in my life." Explained Artanis. Hearing this, Makarov turned toward Artanis with a look of surprise. Seeing this, Artanis continued. "I don't know if any of your children told you but I am a killer. But I don't kill because I like it. I kill because they give me no choice. And it gives me no satisfaction to do so." Explained Artanis as he turned toward Makarov, who was wearing in unexpressive look on his face. "I know what you think of killing and that you think that it can be avoided but in my experience killing is inevitable. Especially from where I come from." Said Artanis as he looked over to the covered up bodies. Makarov looked at him before sighing.

"You must live a hard life if killing is inevitable." Said Makarov. Artanis simply nodded in confirmation. "What will you and Alarak do now?" Asked Makarov after some silence. After all this was said and done, the people, the royal family, and the magic council will want answers on what happened and who these creatures were.

"I will speak with both the magic council and the royal family. I will try and establish friendly relations with them. I fear it is the only way to prevent panic among your people. Or at the lease minimize it." Said Artanis. He intended to speak with Hisui and her father after meeting up with Makarov.

"In that case, I want you to know that you have an ally in the Fairy Tail guild." Said Makarov, causing Artanis to turn toward the small man in surprise. "Let me explain. You yourself helped saved one of my children when you could have simply sent some of your warriors to do so. You risked your own life in the battle against the dragons even when it was not your fight. Such actions, speak of your kind heart and bravery. It pleases me that there are leaders like you." Said Makarov. Artanis, hearing all this, nodded gratefully. "But still." Said Makarov, turning toward Artanis. "I must warn you that it will be an uphill battle to gain good relations with the magic council. They will most likely try and control your people. And if they can't, they will deem you as an enemy and may convince the public opinion to accept their views unless you can convince the royal family to accept your kind." Warned Makarov.

"*Sighs* I know. I have been in this kind of situation before." Said Artanis as he remembered the trouble he went through when the Tal'darim attacked Korhal. Despite being two different factions, the Terrans still believed that the Daelaam and the Tal'darim were the same and blamed both factions. "Before I go it's the custom of Terrans to shake the hand of a friend. Is it not?" Asked Artanis he kneeled down and held out his hand. Makarov looked at the hand before grasping it and shaking it. The two leaders looked at each other in the eye and nodded as they let go. Artanis then left to find Hisui and her father while Makarov left to go find his guild. As Artanis was walking he looked around to see people sitting in the rubble as they cried. He also saw that people were giving him glares of hate and suspicion. Both were something he was used to seeing back in Koprulu when everyone was still recovering from the second Great War and Amon's return. Sometime later he arrived at the Royal palace. When he entered he was greeted with the sounds of moans from wounded and crying from people mourning. He was then greeted with a royal soldier who looked nervous and was shaking in his boots.

"W-what c-can I d-do f-f-for y-you?" Asked the soldier. Artanis understood the man's fear. It wasn't every day that you meet someone larger than anyone you met in your life and looked so different from what you're used to seeing.

"Calm yourself." Said Artanis. Attempting to calm the man. "I came to speak with your king and princess. It is urgent." The man just shook and was about to respond when Cosmos appeared. She dismissed the soldier and looked at Artanis with a smile.

"Hey!" Greeted Cosmos. "How you doing?" Artanis was taken aback with this cheerful demeanor but quickly composed himself.

"I am well." Said Artanis. "I need to speak with your king and princess Hisui."

"*Smiles* Then follow me." Said Cosmos as she guided Artanis toward where the king and Hisui where. "So how bad is it out there?" Asked Cosmos seriously as walked with Artanis.

"Bad." Said Artanis. "People are still searching for the dead and wounded. Some of the wounded are dying waiting for treatment. Even dying while being treated. My men are doing the best they can to help but some of your doctors are refusing my men's help."

"Really?" Asked Cosmos, incredulously and disgust. "Even with their patients dying?"

"I'm afraid so." Said Artanis gravely. "Suspicion and fear can make people irrational." Cosmos just huffed in agreement as the two walked the rest of the trip in silence. They went further down of the palace until they eventually arrived in a safe room where the royal family was kept in should the royal palace was attacked.

"This is it." Said Cosmos as they neared the door. "The royal family comes here whenever the palace is attacked." Artanis noticed with interest that there were no guards near here.

"Why are there no guards here?" Asked Artanis.

"Usually there's at least two full platoons guarding the door and this floor but the dragon attack killed or incapacitated most of the garrison responsible for defending the palace and those that are left are being tasked to search for survivor in the rubble. My team included." Explained Cosmos. "I have to go. Be seeing you." Said Cosmos as she left. Artanis then knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Said the voice that belonged to Arcadios.

"It is Artanis. Can I come in?" Asked Artanis. The door soon opened after some muffled talking, allowing Artanis to enter. As soon as he was in, Artanis looked around the safe room. There wasn't much in it. There was only two small beds, a room that Artanis guessed was a bathroom, a shelve full of books, a table with seats, and a dresser. The occupants where Hisui, the king, and Arcadios.

"Is this the person you were taking about, Hisui?" Asked the king. Hisui nodded glumly. The king then walked over to Artanis. Artanis was surprised at how small the king was. Being as tall as Makarov in height. "You are Artanis, correct?" Asked the king. Artanis nodded in confirmation. "Then on behalf of the Fiore kingdom and my daughter, I wish to extend an apology to you for my daughter's actions against you." Hearing this, Artanis looked over to see Hisui look at him with regret and eyes that pleaded for forgiveness.

"It is alright, king of Fiore, I am not offended with your daughter's actions." Said Artanis as he turned toward the king. "I understand her reasoning to do so. She thought that my people were a threat to the kingdom. She was ruthless, yes, but her motives were that for her people benefit." Said Artanis, surprising everyone in the room. "But I did not come here for an apology. I came here to establish friendly relations between our two people. That is if you wish to." Said Artanis, waiting for their answer. The king was silent for a while until he spoke.

"I say that friendly relations with the very people that saved us from annihilations is a splendid idea." Said the king. "When shall we began negotiations?" Asked the king. While Artanis was glad that the king was willing to become allies with the Protoss, he knew that it was not the time to begin negotiations.

"Sometime this week. For now, let my people help you with your city and wounded." Said Artanis. The king agreed and ordered Arcadios to send messengers to the city to inform those inside to allow the Protoss to help. The two leaders then began to converse with each other for a while about where and when exactly the negations will begin and what the Protoss can do to help with the city. After an hour of conversing with each other, Artanis and the king were done speaking and Artanis was outside the royal palace. Artanis was minding his own business when Cosmos came and walked with him. He questioned about it and all he got was that she wanted to walk with him. He sighed before resuming his walk to the tents where Fairy Tail is. As he was walking Artanis couldn't help but feel that life was about to get even harder for both the Protoss and the Terrans of this world.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Meeting the magic council and tragic back stories.**

* * *

 **Several days later**

 **Lobby of Magic Council headquarters**

* * *

Doranbolt was waiting patiently along with Lahar for the arrival of both the leaders of these so called Protoss. A couple of days have passed since the dragon invasion and the eclipse gate opened. The repairs on the city were still ongoing but should be done within the week. Doranbolt recalled all the death and destruction he had seen and hoped that he will never see it again. He was still getting nightmares. Despite all that, there seemed to be something good that became of it. Apparently an unknown force of inhuman beings came with a fleet of airships and helped them defend against the dragons and their allies. They even helped repair the city and heal the injured. During all this, they have been talking with the Royal family of a possible alliance and friendly relations between them. Much was learned about the beings including their species name. The negotiations were still ongoing but they were put on hold when the Magic council sent a letter to the Royal Family that demanded the Protoss to meet with them. The Protoss leaders agreed and were arriving soon. Now, Doranbolt was not one to deny an offering of aid or against establishing friendly relations between two people but the fact that those beings were similar to some of the things that helped the dragons left him concerned. He recalled watching one kill an entire platoon of rune knights all by itself. A testament to the skill have as well as a testament of how dangerous they were.

"You alright, Doranbolt?" Asked Lahar seeing that his friend was in thought. Doranbolt shook his head before answering.

"Not really. I'm concerned with how the negotiations will got between these Protoss and the Magic council." Said Doranbolt. He was worried that the magic council will provoke them with their demands and paranoia. "I'm worried that the Magic council will anger them and war will happen. I rather not go to war with those things." Lahar nodded in agreement. As much as he disliked it, he had to agree with Doranbolt. He had seen how these Protoss fight and it frightened him to have to face an entire army of them. Especially with their fleet of warships that managed to kill a dragon. It was a group effort that required multiple ships sure but the fact remained that the Protoss had incredible power. He sincerely hoped that the Magic council will be rational and calm around the Protoss. After a few minutes of silence the front entrance opened and the Protoss leaders with their escorts entered the building. Lahar and Doranbolt noticed with interest with how different some of the guards looked. Some wore ragged cloak and had green glowing eyes, others wore bright elegant armor with glowing blue highlights and had blue glowing eyes, another group was completely enclosed in armor that was white and had glowing yellow highlights, and the last group had black armor with red highlights and red glowing eyes. They also noticed in concern that the ones in black armor were the same to those that fought against them. The rune knights that were with them also noticed this and held on to their staffs tighter. The Protoss group stopped before two of the group walked up to the two council commanders. Both radically different from each other with how they look. The more brightly colored one then spoke.

"I take it that you are our escort then?" Asked the Protoss. Doranbolt then nodded. "Good. I am Artanis, hierarch of the Daelaam, and this is Alarak, high lord of the Tal'darim." Said the Protoss now identified as Artanis pointed to the darker and more menacing Protoss who simply scoffed and glared at the two council employees like dogs. Doranbolt frowned at the high lord. He felt an enormous amount of darkness coming from him. It seemed that they will have to keep an eye on him.

"I assume that this is all your leaders?" Asked Lahar, getting right to business. Artanis nodded in confirmation. "Excellent. Then follow us to the council chambers." Said Lahar as he led them to where they needed to go with everyone else soon following. As they were walking Doranbolt couldn't help but observe the Protoss. They were huge. They were even taller than some tall individuals that he met in his life. He also noticed in curiosity the difference in weapon choice between the guards. The more brightly colored armor wearing Protoss held a poleaxe like weapon with two blades that seemed more powerful that those wielded by the royal army as well as a shield. He also noticed that the bladed parts were not metal but was rather blades of energy. The rest of the Protoss had wrist mounted devices that Doranbolt recognized. He saw how those devices emit a blade of energy that can cut through anything. He wondered why the difference in weapons and why they all look different from one another. He was pulled from his thoughts when the door leading to the council chambers opened and he saw the Magic council waiting for them. He steeled himself and prayed that all would go well.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Fairy Tail guild hall**

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tail guild, Natsu was munching on a big turkey leg while Lucy, Happy, and Gray were watching.

"I still can't see how you can eat so much without throwing up or getting sick. Or just get full." Said Gray as he watched Natsu finish eating the turkey leg and grabbed another from a plate.

"Maybe it's because I work more than you do." Said Natsu as he munched on his new turkey leg.

"The hell you do!" Yelled out Gray as he stood up and taking his shirt off in the process. He was about to pick a fight with Natsu when Lucy stopped him.

"Not now guys!" Yelled out Lucy. "We just got this new guild hall and the master doesn't want it ruined yet!" She wished Erza was here right now but she was out on a mission with her own. To be honest, she was worried for her friend. She wasn't taking Millianna's death well but has been getting better with Jellal's help. She hoped that Erza will get be back to her normal self soon. Gray growled before calming down and sat down again. "Alright, let's think of something else. Like how the meeting between Alarak and Artanis and the Magic council will go." Suggested Lucy. Hearing the two Protoss leaders, Gray and Natsu looked at Lucy.

"Personally, I think it will end in a disaster." Said Gray. "With how the magic council is, coupled with Alarak personality, you got a recipe for disaster." Gray despised Alarak. He really did with how Alarak is and what he believes in. It made his blood boil just thinking about Alarak. Even more so than Natsu. He was alright with Artanis. The guy seemed like a good man. Or Protoss. He could honestly see it going relatively well if it was just Artanis meeting the magic council but with Alarak.

"Yeah Lucy. Someone is bound to get hurt because of Alarak." Said Natsu as he munched on his turkey leg. Lucy had to agree. With Alarak, the meeting will go horribly wrong and the Magic council will probably antagonize the Protoss, which is something she didn't want. She, along with Levy and a few others, wanted to know about the Protoss more. Not just about their powers but also their art and culture. Though she will stay away from the Tal'darim. She got the feeling that she won't like what they have to offer.

"I know." Said Lucy. "Let's just hope Artanis can keep the peace." Lucy said with hope. Honestly what can go wrong?

* * *

 **Magic Council headquarters**

* * *

Everything was going wrong. At first, it went well but then one of the council members called them monsters and animals. Then Alarak then replied by saying that the council should be embarrassed because it was animals and monsters that defeated their soldiers. Since then it has been a string of insults and threats directed at both sides. As this was happening, Artanis was trying to keep his cool while also trying to defuse the situation.

"Everyone please calm down!" Yelled out Artanis due to how loud it has gotten. Seeing that he was being ignored, Artanis sighed as he gathered psionic energy and slammed it to the ground. The result was causing a minor earthquake in the building that got everyone's attention. Once he was sure that everyone was listening to him, Artanis continued. "Now that I have your attention, can we please continue the negotiations as civilized people?" Asked Artanis. Some of the council member looked furious at Artanis and were about to order their guards to arrest him when the head council member slammed his staff at the floor.

"The alien is correct." Said the head council member. "We are acting like children when we should act like civilized people." Seeing that everyone was silent, he continued. "Now let us continue the negotiations before all this ruckus happened. Artanis, if you would." Artanis nodded to the head council member in thanks before recommencing negotiations.

"Now as I was saying. I am Artanis, leader of the Daelaam, and this is Alarak, leader of the Tal'darim." Said Artanis as he swept a hand near Alarak, who glared at the magic council. Making some shiver in their seats. "We are both part of a highly technological species called the Protoss. We also possess a power we call Psionics, something very similar to magic." This caused some council members to listen with interest. A power similar to magic was something that must be studied. "We came from a faraway land called Aiur. We wish to make friendly relations with the land of Fiore." Said Artanis. The council members took this in before replying.

"I am Gran Doma." Said the head of the magic council. "Before we decide if an alliance between your people and the people of Fiore is beneficial I must ask. Why did you come to Fiore? Why come to us first? And why have we not heard about your kind until now?" Artanis hesitated for a moment before replying.

"My people are very reclusive. We have for most of our history been weary of outsiders until recently when outsiders have proven that those from other lands can be trusted. And for why we came to Fiore first, we heard about wonderful things about the land from several outsiders so we decided to come here first." Said Artanis as carefully as possible. He didn't want to tell everything to the magic council in fear that it will affect the negotiations in a negative way. Gran seemed to buy it as he nodded in understanding.

"I see." Said Gran. "The magic council will adjourn this meeting to discuss over if Fiore should take this alliance. In the meantime you should make yourself comfortable. This may take some time before we come with our final answer. Also I wish for you to know that the royal family will arrive here soon. We asked them to come here so we all can officially make an alliance if the magic council supports it." Said Gran. Artanis nodded in understanding as the meeting was adjourned. Artanis, Alarak, and their guards were led to a building somewhere close to the Magic Council headquarters, where they waited for the council to give their verdict.

"I must admit that went better than I had thought." Said Alarak as he and Artanis discussed over the meeting.

"Yes. I had thought that it will end with someone dying or worse." Said Artanis. "I must admit, I was surprised that you restrained yourself from killing some of the council members." Alarak scoffed at this.

"Those weaklings are not worth the time to kill them. They think that because of their position and knowledge that they know everything. That they had seen everything. I had seen into their minds, Artanis. I see that they are afraid of us but I also see that they wish to control us and our technology. They wish to use it to their own benefit." Said Alarak.

" ***** Sighs* "I know." Said Artanis. He as well had dwelled into the minds of the council members and seen their intentions. They wish to acquire their technology to expand their power and that of Fiores. He knew that cannot happen. He knew of the dangers of technology. What it can do in the wrong hands. It was comforting but aggravating to him that this was not the case for all. Some wished to simply treat them as second-class citizens or worse. Others, however, wished to simply make an alliance for the potential wealth it could give them. It was honestly different from the Royal family who simply wished to establish friendly relations between the Terrans of Fiore and the Protoss. He had searched their minds to be sure of that. King Toma, while a bit strange, had a kind heart and cared for his people. The same could be said for princess Hisui and Arcadios, who was a good man. He was sure that they wished for this alliance to not only get to know about the Protoss a bit more and have a good friend but for the benefit of their citizens as well. Some time passed until a rune knight came and told them that the council had made their verdict. Alarak, Artanis, and their guards then made their way to the council chambers. When they were walking to the chambers they overheard the king and princess arguing with the council.

"I do not agree to these terms!" Yelled out Toma.

"But my king these are acceptable terms." Said Gran in an attempt to convince the king. The king, however, was not convinced nor his daughter.

"These terms are completely ridiculous!" Yelled out Hisui. "These terms will have the Protoss treated as second-class citizens! Not only that but you dare ask for their secrets and ships for yourselves!"

"I didn't except you to understand, Princess." Said a council member. "These arrangements are more than what the Protoss should get." It was then that Alarak and Artanis arrived to the chambers. They saw the council in one side and the Royal family in another. They also noticed that the Hungry Wolf Knights were there along with the usual guards and Arcadios. Everyone looked at the Protoss leaders as they walked in.

"What is going on?" Asked Artanis as he arrived at the table.

"It's quite simple." Said a council member. "The royal family is displeased at the treaty we have."

"And for good reason!" Yelled out Toma. "These treaty is nothing but an insult to the Protoss and it makes us look like tyrants!"

"What about the treaty?" Asked Artanis. Hisui then gave Artanis a piece of paper she was holding so he can read it. As he was reading, Artanis grew angrier and angrier. When he finished, he tore the paper and slammed his fists into the table. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" Yelled out Artanis. His fury was enough to surprise even Alarak. Some of the council members shook in fear as Gran attempted to calm down Artanis.

"It's the conditions in the treaty." Said Gran calmly. "It's what the magic council thinks is best for Fiore."

"You believe that treating my kind as second-class citizens is for the betterment of Fiore!?" Yelled out Artanis. "Not only that but you have the audacity to demand for our technology!" With this sentence, Artanis's eyes glowed brightly than they normally do, an indication that he was mad. "Are you all too emerged in your greed and short-sightedness that you make ridiculous demands!?" After taking a deep breath, Artanis calmed down and looked at the magic council in hate and disgust. "I refuse this treaty and I will continue to refuse any treaty until an acceptable one is offered."

"This is more than acceptable." Said a council member. "It's more than what monsters like you should get. Or do you believe that…ack!" Before he could say anymore Artanis psionically grabbed him and pulled him to his hand where Artanis was slowly choking the man.

"Treat or say my people are monsters again and I will make you regret it." Threatened Artanis as rune knights converged on Artanis only to be stopped by Artanis's guards and, surprisingly, Cosmos. The man quickly nodded and Artanis let go. The man quickly scrambled to his chair as the magic council looked furious.

"That will go against you and your people Artanis." Warned Gran. "The people of Fiore will not stand for this."

"They will let it go if I tell them the whole truth, Gran." Said Toma. "I fully intend to go along with this alliance, with or without the magic council's support." The magic council looked at the king in shock and were about to protest when he raised his hand. "That is my final say in this matter. It is clear to me that the Magic council will be unreasonable in matters about the Protoss. So, I will have several of my trusted advisors and my daughter to help me make a more reasonable treaty." With that Toma left along with Hisui and their escorts. As they left Artanis looked at the Magic council with disgust before leaving with Alarak and their guards but not before Gran warned Artanis that he will regret this. When they left the building, the Protoss were surprised to see Hisui with Arcadios, Kamika, and Cosmos. Artanis and Alarak walked up to them, wondering why they were there.

"I apologize for what the Magic council tried to do." Said Hisui as she bowed.

"It is not your fault Hisui nor your father. I am grateful that both of you supported my kind and more respectful than the Magic Council." Said Artanis.

"It's the least we can do for what your kind did against the dragons and for your help with the city." Said Hisui. "And don't worry about the Magic council. They only govern the guilds. The citizens are usually governed by the Royal family. My father and I will make sure that the truth is heard before newspapers exaggerate or lie about what happened." Said Hisui. "We also have a more reasonable treaty for you. We'll inform you when it is complete."

"I understand Hisui and thank you again for your actions today." Hisui blushed before waving it off.

"It's no problem." Said Hisui. "Before I go, I wanted to inform you that Kamika and Cosmos wanted to stay with you for a while. Apparently, they wanted to be with you and Alarak in case some citizens try to attack you."

"It'll be bad for us if some random citizen goes and attacks you." Explained Kamika. "Don't want to cause an accident."

" ***Scoffs*** I can take care of myself." Said Alarak.

"You can but we rather be safe than sorry." Said Kamika. Alarak simply growled at this.

"If that is what you are afraid of then so be it." Said Artanis.

"Excellent." Said Hisui. "I'll see you both in the next meeting." With that Hisui and Arcadios left to join the king in their ride back to the palace. Seeing that the princess left, Cosmos looked at Artanis and smiled.

"Where do you want to go?" Asked Cosmos.

"For now, I wish to simply tour a city or village. I wish to know your people's lifestyle." Said Artanis.

"Then we know the perfect place." Said Kamika. "Follow us and don't worry about the time, you have us for the whole day." With that the group left but not before Artanis told his and Alarak's guards to go back to the ships. The group arrived in a small town after sometime of traveling by carriage. The group spent time observing the lifestyle of the people while also doing things like sampling food, trying out clothes, or just having a normal day. Of course, Artanis and Alarak couldn't taste Terran food and drinks due to them lacking a mouth. So they just watched as Kamika and Cosmos sampled food and tried out some clothes. Artanis heard from Raynor that Terran females like to spend an infinite amount of time shopping but don't buy anything and if they do buy something they have the guy carry everything. Which seemed to be true because Artanis was holding everything Cosmos and Kamika bought and were trying out clothes for no apparent reason except trying them out. Alarak didn't carry anything because he threatened to kill both women if they tried it so Artanis, much to his chagrin and Alarak's amusement, had to carry everything. The group eventually stopped to take a break in a restaurant Terrans called a café.

"This was such a nice day." Said Cosmos as she drank a glass of water.

"I wouldn't say that." Said Artanis. "Do you even need this much clothing?" Asked Artanis as he gestured toward the large pile of bags that had clothing.

"Yup." Said Cosmos, cheerfully. "You're women don't do this sort of thing, Artanis?"

"No. My people spend their time doing more meaningful tasks." Said Artanis. "We don't waste time on shopping for clothes that we don't need."

"You species must be pretty disciplined then." Said Kamika. "Is there anything that our two species have in common?"

"Aside from the need to kill and care for themselves?" Asked Alarak. "No, there is not. Our species are too different from one another. Where we see something as a waste of time and resources you Terrans see as fun and necessary."

"What Alarak is saying is true." Said Artanis. "The Protoss spend their resources on more important tasks."

"I see." Said Kamika. "Is there something you guys like? And not something like killing or making peace. I mean like normal stuff like what color you guys like or what you guys do when there's nothing to do." The two Protoss leaders gave it some thought before answering.

"Well, when I was younger, I used to watch birds native to Aiur fly in the skies or practice my blade man-ship. I also watched children play with each other." Explained Artanis.

"Really?" Asked Cosmos. "I never took you for the guy that does that."

"Well that was a long time ago." Said Artanis. "Now, I'm just too busy for such things."

"Must be hard being a leader." Commented Kamika with Artanis nodding in confirmation. What about you Alarak?" Asked Kamika, turning to Alarak. "What do you do?"

"Other than keeping in line fools that wish to attack anything and everything that isn't Tal'darim and killing foolish pirates that attack Tal'darim worlds, I tend to take a walk around the aftermath of battles to see the gore and devastation. Or think of ways to kill people in painful ways." Said Alarak. Everyone was looking at him, silent for a few minutes before Kamika replied.

"Anything not violent?" Asked Kamika. Alarak went into thought for a few minutes before replying.

"I do, on occasion, think of finding a mate to carry on my legacy as well as use Terrazine when I need to peer beyond the veil." Said Alarak.

"Terrazine?" Asked Kamika, confused at what that is.

"Terrazine is a gas that enhances Psionic powers of any Psionic users but at the cost of some side effects, which include hallucinations and aggressive outbursts." Explained Artanis.

"Hallucinations? So, Alarak is seeing things right now?" Asked Cosmos. Alarak then glared at her, making her shiver.

"I am not like some fools that overuse Terrazine." Said Alarak, remembering a certain Tal'darim executor that is now dead. "I take more manageable doses that mitigate the effects of Terrazine. It won't do if the high lord is insane."

"Okay. You like death and drugs." Said Kamika before remembering something. "Wait. You want a child?!" Asked Kamika in shock.

"I have thought of having a child. If only to have a legacy." Said Alarak.

"What about a wife?" Asked Cosmos.

"Like I said, I only wish to have a child to have a legacy. I care little for whatever female I chose. However, they do need to be strong and share my views." Said Alarak. The women and Artanis frowned at this. They didn't like what Alarak was implying.

"What about if you fall in love with someone?" Asked Kamika. Alarak was silent for a few moments before replying.

"I very much doubt that I will find love, Terran." Said Alarak. "I have never felt such a thing in a long time." This caused Artanis to look at Alarak in curiosity.

"You have felt love before?" Asked Artanis. Alarak paused for a moment before cursing himself. He then sighed.

"Yes." Said Alarak. "When I was still a child. As you all probably know, Tal'darim are brutal and vicious. We care little for the weak and exterminate those of our own kind if we deem them weak." The group nodded, having known the information beforehand. "Well, this mentality is not until adulthood. You see, we Tal'darim shelter our children. Make them have comfort, kindness, and whatever you deem is what you all think a child should have. They are given this until they are deemed ready to become adults. They are then exposed to harsh treatments, rigorous and cruel training, and given choices where it is to save a friend and die with them or leave them and live for another day." Explained Alarak. Kamika and Cosmos had their eyes widen in horror at this while Artanis had his out of shock.

"And this is allowed by the parents?" Asked Artanis. Not believing that a parent will allow such treatment to their offspring.

"Yes. In Tal'darim society, it is considered to shameful to have a weak child. So, the parents often train them to be as brutal and deadly as possible while also ridding them of morality. If this is not done, then that parents will often just kill the child or leave to them to die." Said Alarak.

"That is so wrong." Said Cosmos, a hand over her mouth. "There must be at least a few parents that refuse such treatment of their children."

"There have. On occasion, there is a Tal'darim mother that will try to escape with their offspring to raise them differently than what is required of them. Most, however, are killed off by the blood hunters before they leave. Those that do escape are often never heard from again." Said Alarak. Kamika and Cosmos frowned and even cried a bit at this information. Mothers that tried to escape from their culture so that they can raise their children their way were killed off for doing so. It disgusted them to no end. Artanis, meanwhile, looked at Alarak in sympathy. He wondered what would happen if Alarak was not forced to do what he was forced to do as a child. Would he be as he is now? Or will he be far different from what he is now? Would he and Artanis be friends if he was in the Daelaam? These questions were swept aside by Artanis as soon as he realized that there was no point in them. What's done is done. There was no changing what happened. No matter how much Artanis wanted it so. Nevertheless, Artanis had one question for Alarak.

"What about your mother? What was she like?" Asked Artanis. Alarak looked at him for a few moments, almost as if surprised at Artanis for asking, before replying.

"She was a little different from your typical Tal'darim mother." Said Alarak. "Unlike the others, she started her training a little earlier and far harsher. She forced me to endure more rigorous training than what was given to the average child. When I failed to meet her expectations, she locked me in a chamber with no food or water for weeks as punishment. When I succeeded, however, she praised my success and forced even more intense training for me." Explained Alarak. Kamika and Cosmos were in horror at the mention of Alarak being locked in a room for weeks without food and water while Artanis, while disgusted, was curious. "All this caused me to become more powerful and better prepared than the other children when the initiation began." Said Alarak.

"Initiation? What? The initiation to become adults?" Asked Kamika.

"Yes. This initiation was designed to weed out the weak from the strong." Said Alarak. "One hundred children were placed in an arena with deadly traps and creatures. The children were armed with only their claws and psionic powers. The children were instructed to survive for an hour and if they survived for an hour they would become adults and become Tal'darim. My initiation was a bit different. Mine was far more difficult. There were more traps and creatures in the arena. The instructors also told us that only one of us will be made Tal'darim. The rest were to be killed. So, for several days, we hunted and killed each other. Some of us were killed by the traps, creatures, or by each other. Eventually, only I remained. I was on my way back when a pack of creatures came and attacked me. I eventually escaped but with some injuries to one of my arms. I knew that I couldn't kill them head on. So, I decided to play smart. So, I led the beasts to the traps that were all over the arena. One by one, they fell to my genius. Eventually, the pack leader and I faced off each other. We fought for some time until eventually it gained the upper hand and severely wounded me. It was then when that beast was about to rip my throat out that I used my psionic powers and blasted it to dust. I then made it the location where the instructors were waiting in despite my injuries. It was there that I was made a Tal'darim." Said Alarak as he finished his explanation. He around to see sympathy looks all around him.

" ***Rolls his eyes*** I don't need your pity." Said Alarak. "I survived because I was stronger and smarter than the rest."

"But still. To survive all that." Said Kamika. "Where's your mother now?" Asked Kamika. She was surprised to see Alarak don a look that she never thought she see on him before he went back to his typical impassive look. It was a look of sadness.

"That is none of your concern." Said Alarak before getting up. "I wish to return to my people now. You will accompany, Terran." Said Alarak, pointing to Kamika. She sighed before complying. As soon as they left, Cosmos looked at Artanis and began a conversation.

"Are you going too?" Asked Cosmos.

"Not yet. I wish to stay a bit longer." Said Artanis. Cosmos smiled at this.

"Then I guess we can talk a bit more." Said Cosmos. The two then began a civil conversation where they talked about their likes, dislikes, and goals in life. The two shared some laughs and some hearty moments between each other. " ***Giggles*** I never thought I can enjoy such a conversation with an alien." Said Cosmos.

"And I never thought that I can relax with a Terran. It has been so long since I did something like this." Said Artanis.

"It must be hard, huh?" Asked Cosmos. "Being a leader."

"You have no idea." Said Artanis in an exasperated tone. "I have to maintain peace between the multiple factions of my people. You see, we Protoss have once segregated each other in the past. We treated those from a different faction with disgust and xenophobia. I will admit that I once believed such views as well until I saw the truth with a friend that is long gone now. Now, I fight to try and form unity between the factions but it is a hard battle. So few are willing to accept change and so many wish to prevent it. I sometime believe that it is not meant to be and that it is a fruitless endeavor." Said Artanis. Cosmos was silent for a few moments before speaking.

"Do you believe that?" Asked Cosmos, making Artanis turn toward her. "Do you believe that it is impossible for your people to unify?"

"There have been times when I believe so, yes." Said Artanis.

"But do you believe it right now?" Asked Cosmos. Artanis went into thought for a few minutes. She was right. In recent times, attempts to unify the factions have been stalled because of the loss of the Khala and old grudges that people have refused to let go have also contributed. It also didn't help that a few terrorists groups have formed to prevent such unification. There was also the peace with the Terrans. Some Protoss wanted to annihilate them, out of fear that the Terrans will one day surpass them or out of arrogance and xenophobia. All this sometimes overwhelmed Artanis and made him doubt the possibility of unification of his people and peace between the races of the Koprulu sector. He was about to give her an answer when he remembered all the sacrifices that were made in the fight for unification of his people. He remembered the words of Tassadar, Zeratul, and Jim Raynor. They all believed in him to be the beacon of hope for the Protoss. They never would have wanted him to give up so easily. They would have wanted him to continue the struggle and to see it until the end. With that, Artanis steeled himself and looked at Cosmos with a fire in his eyes.

"No. I do not. I refuse to believe that unity is impossible. I will continue the fight for the unity of my people and I will not stop until it is done. No matter how hard or how many obstacles there are, I will fight and I will succeed!" Yelled out Artanis as he got up. Cosmos smiled and even blushed at Artanis's declaration.

" ***Giggles*** That's the spirit. I was beginning to think you were less of a man and more of a coward." Said Cosmos. "Thanks for proving me wrong."

"No. Thank you." Said Artanis. "I had such thoughts for some time now but now I can proceed to be the leader of my people with a clear mind. For that you have my thanks." Said Artanis, making Cosmos blush.

"Oh it's nothing!" Said Cosmos, turning her head so Artanis won't see her blush.

"I would not say that." Said Artanis. "So, what about you? Why did you become an executioner?" Asked Artanis. Cosmos donned a sad look before replacing it with a smile that Artanis knew was a fake.

"You can't expect a girl to tell all her secrets, right?" Said Cosmos. "I'll tell you when you earned it." Said Cosmos.

"Very well." Said Artanis after some silence. "What about you're magic then? Can you tell me why you use plant magic?"

"Well. You see." Said Cosmos, blushing in embarrassment. "I wanted to have my own garden, one that will always be beautiful and pretty. So, once I discovered my magic potential, I immediately trained for the usage of plant magic." Explained Cosmos. "Please, don't tell anyone." Pleaded Cosmos suddenly. "I have a reputation." Artanis blinked a few times before answering.

"Why are you embarrassed? I believe that it is a fine idea." Said Artanis, making Cosmos look at him in shock. "It is simple and an understandable want. I have seen some of my kind want to just maintain a garden of their own. Not to become warriors, teachers, or builders. Rather, they just wanted to just maintain life. I must admit, I feel at peace to know that there are some people that just want to preserve life than destroy it. But I must ask, why you are an executioner when you want a garden?" asked Artanis. Cosmos then sighed before donning a sad look.

"If you don't want to say it, then that is all right with me." Said Artanis.

"Thank you. Sorry about that. It's just something that I don't want to tell people." Said Cosmos with a sad look. It took a few minutes until she brought back her cheerful demeanor. "Now, what do you like about my plants?" Asked Cosmos.

"I must say that I like everything about them. I am fascinated with them. The way you grow them, how they are used in combat, and how beautiful they are." Said Artanis. "My people don't have anything like this. And to see it with my own eyes, is breathtaking." Complimented Artanis.

"Thank you." Said Cosmos with a smile. "It's not easy to do it, you know. It takes a lot of concentration and work to make them like that. You want to know how?" Asked Cosmos.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." Said Artanis as the two conversed with each other about plant magic. Meanwhile Kamika and Alarak were seating in a park some distance away. The two were receiving their fair share of stares but were scared away by Alarak with his menacing glare.

"So, what else do you like?" Asked Kamika.

"You already know, Terran." Said Alarak. "I like to bring pain to my enemies. I give no quarter to them, no matter what."

"I know that." Said Kamika. "I meant that you have any hobbies or stuff that you like. And don't remind me of the things you mention." Said Kamika. Alarak went into thought and sighed.

"Very well. I like to see my supplicants and servants working. It is satisfying to see my subjects work as best they can. I rather not have them work at sub-optimal performance. So, I give them breaks when needed." Said Alarak, catching Kamika's attention.

"Really?" Asked Kamika in shock. "You don't seem to be the type that will do something like that."

"I will admit that I give that impression off but I don't work my people to death. It's undignified to die from exhaustion and I know this. Besides, I rather have my warriors fight at their best then suffer a defeat because of them being exhausted. My mother taught me that." Said Alarak.

"Your mother?" Asked Kamika. "The one that put you so much. Why would she do that?" Asked Kamika. From what Alarak told them, his mother was not someone to give lessons like mercy or kindness.

"I rather not say." Said Alarak.

"Tell me." Said Kamika, looking at Alarak in the eyes. The two then entered into a staring contest with their best scary faces. The two were at it for a few minutes when Alarak laughed.

"You have bravery, Terran. I didn't think you had that when I saw you quiver in fear at the white haired Terran." Said Alarak.

"Hey, she was a lot stronger than me and she caught me off guard." Said Kamika, defending herself. "Don't take that the wrong way. You're a lot stronger than her but we're a lot closer than her and me." Said Kamika quickly, not wanting to be killed by Alarak.

"I suppose." Conceded Alarak. "Someone as attractive and cruel as you, often cower in fear at a far more powerful opponent." Said Alarak. Kamika scowled at being called weak but blushed at the compliments. "Very well, I'll honor your question." Said Alarak.

"My mother held the Tal'darim ways in high regards. She thought it was the only right way to live in the universe but she wasn't fanatical in it. She was flexible in how to use the ways against her enemies and how to bend them if it suited her. She had a sort of moral code but a little one. She didn't spare wounded or the defenseless unless they gave her a good fight. She was also known to kill any that questioned her if they provoked her." Explained Alarak. "But those were not why she was remembered, no, she was remembered for her treatment of her warriors. She wasn't exactly caring for them but she would do strategies that would minimize losses and give them breaks when they needed them. She was the first Tal'darim to have such a care, or one at all, for the ones beneath them. All the others didn't bother with them and sent wave after wave against the enemy, sending them to their deaths." Said Alarak. Kamika felt disgusted at the tactics the Tal'darim use but she also felt respect for Alarak's mother for being the first one to care for her men.

"So, you're mother passed her ideals on to you?" Asked Kamika.

"Not all of them. Some I disagreed with. We went into some fights which caused me to go into a room with no food or water. As you know. But she did care for me. As much as the Tal'darim will it." Said Alarak. "And I wouldn't have it any other way. It's better if a child is given the harsh lessons as soon as possible. So, that they are prepared for the harshness that is reality. You know this to be true, Terran." Said Alarak. Kamika frowned and looked to the floor. She remembered her own childhood and wanted to forget it. It caused too much pain to her.

"Don't try and forget your past, Terran." Said Alarak after reading her mind. What he found was interesting to him. "Embrace it. Use it to make you stronger."

"Well, it's not that easy!" Snapped Kamika as she looked at him. "I can't just use it to strengthen myself like you can. I can't use it to make me stronger or more powerful. All they're good for is just reminding me of the pain I had to go through as a child!" Alarak resulting chuckle made Kamika even madder. She was about to attack him when he said something that shocked her.

"And I have to live with the fact that I was responsible for my mother's death." Said Alarak. "It was because of me that she is dead. Something that I very much doubt compares to your childhood. And yes, I know of how your parents were killed by slavers and how the slavers beat you, and tortured you until you escaped with your new found magic power. You eventually found employment within the royal family and helped form the hungry wolf knights, where you killed those in the name of the kingdom. Am I on a roll?" Asked Alarak. Kamika looked shocked at the fact that Alarak basically told her entire life story as well as the fate of his mother. She knew that Protoss had mind-reading powers but she thought her mental training was enough to stop it. Guess she had to go train more. Regardless, she had to talk with Alarak.

"You helped kill your mother?" Asked Kamika in shock.

"No. I was just used to do so." Said Alarak. With that, a moment of silence kicked in. "I think we found something else we have in common. A rough childhood" Said Alarak. Kamika then nodded. The two were silent for a few minutes when Alarak grabbed Kamika's hand and led her to a tree. The two stopped to observe a young family having a picnic together. It nothing special. It was just a husband, wife, and their two kids having a picnic together. However, seeing it made Kamika envious.

"Why did you bring me here?" Asked Kamika. "To show me what I lost and can't have?" Said Kamika in a hurt tone. She knew Alarak was cruel but she didn't think he was this cruel.

"No, Terran. I brought you here because I know that you wish to have a normal life. To raise a family." Said Alarak as he observed the family. "Let me say this to you. Don't bother trying to be what is perceived normal by others and try to be what you think is normal in your eyes. Raise a family your way. Even if you are a killer, you can still have a family."

"It's not that easy." Said Kamika with a little hesitation. "I don't want to have my child know that I was a killer before. I don't want to know her reaction to it."

"* **Scoffs*** Then we have nothing in common if you are afraid of such a little thing. Where is the woman I saw be cruel to her enemies and finds pleasure in their suffering? Asked Alarak as Kamika flinched. "That woman, in my eyes, would not be afraid of such a minor thing as their child finding out that they were a killer. So, stop this hesitation, find a mate, and have a family your way." Said Alarak.

"But I don't know anything about raising a child." Said Kamika.

"So what. Ask around. Even ask those in Fairy Tail. I'm sure that those Terrans will help. Those fools will help anyone in need, no matter how stupid and unreasonable it is doing so." Said Alarak, getting impatient with Kamika.

"I know that. But still..." Kamika couldn't say more when Alarak grabbed her and made her look him in the eye.

"Listen to me carefully." Said Alarak. "Stop complaining and acting like a coward. Go and face this situation with no hesitation and no fear. Otherwise you will fail in your dream to have a child and disappoint your parents and me." Said Alarak as he let go before leaving. Kamika sat on the ground for a few moments before running up to Alarak, yelling his name.

"Alarak!" Yelled out Kamika as she caught up to him. Once she saw he had his attention, she began. "I'm sorry for my hesitation." Said Kamika. Looking ashamed of herself. "I know that I wasn't being who I am. I was being a coward for being afraid of possible outcomes."

"You got that right." Said Alarak.

"But not anymore. If I want to start a family. I'll face my problems with dignity and pride." Said Kamika.

"* **Chuckles*** That is good. You successfully conquered your fear of having a family. Now you just need to have one to really do it." Said Alarak as he walked up closer to her. "Now, do not mention this to anyone or I will kill you. I have a reputation to maintain."

"*Smiles* Of course." Said Kamika before hugging Alarak, much to his surprise. The high lord would have normally pushed anyone and killed them for this but for some reason he couldn't place, he allowed her to hug him. Perhaps he was in just a good mood today without knowing it. "Perhaps it was because she and he was close as was possible for a Tal'darim. Or perhaps...

"Sorry about that." Said Kamika with a blush as she let go. "It's just that you helped me with my fear of starting a family."

" ***Scoffs*** Don't mention it again to me." Said Alarak. "And do not mention this to anyone."

"You better not either!" Said Kamika. "If words gets out that an executioner was hugging someone, it would be a real blow to the Hungry Wolf Knight's reputation."

"Then we are in agreement." Said Alarak. "We never talk about this again." Kamika nodded before following Alarak. As she was walking with him, she was thinking about how nice Alarak can actually be. She was probably the first person to ever see it. It made her feel special in a way. She wondered if she was in a special place in his heart. She then blushed at the thought. Did she just think that Alarak was interested in her? She blushed even harder if that was the case. It was extremely unlikely that Alarak was in any way attracted to her species. She didn't even know if any of the norm for attractiveness in humans are considered the same to Protoss. Are they disgusted with big breasts and long legs? Are they attracted to things that humans consider disgusting? All this things made her head hurt. She then shook those thoughts off and just focused on her possible feelings with Alarak. Well…it shouldn't be a surprise to her. They have had interactions before during his visits to the palace. She was often put in charge in keeping an eye on him because out of everyone she was the closest person to Alarak. Also there was the fact that no one wanted to stand Alarak's insults for nearly ten hours straight. While he was at the palace the two would converse whenever they have the chance. Usually, it was just how boring the negotiations and guard duty was and what they do. They had some chuckles here and there. They even talked about some torture techniques that can be useful in battle. She guessed that her feelings started during those visits and that he helped with her fear of having a family just made her more attracted to him.

"What do I do?" Thought Kamika as she was walking. "Do I confess? Do I just play it off as simple crush? Or ask him on a date?" She was so in thought that she didn't register Alarak grabbing her and pulling her close to him. She gasped out loud when a magic car nearly ran over her and would have if Alarak didn't grab her in time. She then blushed hard when she saw that she was held tightly to Alarak's armor. Her chest was smashed against his own. She looked up to see Alarak look at her with annoyance and what seemed like a little concern.

"C-can you let go?" Asked Kamika after some silence. "My chest is kinda…you know." Alarak just rolled his eyes and let her go. As Kamika was smoothing her dress, Alarak began to talk.

"What happened there?" Asked Alarak. "Were you eager to die in just a pitiful way?"

"Sorry." Said Kamika. "I was lost in thought."

"Then don't let it happen again but for now. To ensure that you would not do so again." Said Alarak as he grabbed her hand and led her to the café where Cosmos and Artanis were. Kamika's heart was racing. Her hand was being touched by her seemingly would be crush. Even though it was encased in armor and her hand was hurting because of the tight grip Alarak had on her, she couldn't help but feel light headed at this.

"Oh god. Stop this Kamika! You're an executioner for god sake! Not a school girl with a crush!" Thought Kamika as she tried to control herself. Needless to say, it was failing miserably. She then sighed and just decided to let it go. As they were walking Kamika noted that people were staring and pointing at them while whispering to each other. She groaned as she thought up the headlines for the newspapers. **Woman seen on a date with an Alien! Is she attracted to no-mouths and tentacles?** Oh, she would never hear the end of this from Cosmos. After what seemed like an eternity of walking, they finally arrived at the café and saw Cosmos and Artanis having a conversation about plant magic. The two stopped as Kamika and Alarak were approaching. They also raised an eyebrow at them holding hands.

"Did you two have some alone time together?" Teased Cosmos, making Kamika blush and glare at her friend in annoyance.

"Knock it off! Cosmos!" Said Kamika as she took her hand away from Alarak. "We just went for a walk. Nothing more."

"Sure, you did." Said Cosmos. Kamika groaned.

"I believe that it is time to leave." Said Artanis as he saw that it was dark. "We shall see each other again." Artanis then bowed to Cosmos and Kamika, making Cosmos blush at having someone bow to her. Alarak just said good bye before leaving with Artanis. The two ladies then began their long trek to the train station. After sometime of walking Cosmos began to sing.

"Alarak and Kamika, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-Mmph!"

She was then interrupted when Kamika threw a paper directly at Cosmos's mouth. The pink-haired woman tried to get it off but to no avail. She then puffed her cheeks and began to walk in silence with a smirking Kamika.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry it took so long to update. I've been busy. Also, you may have noticed I changed my username and profile picture. I did it because I felt that it was a little fan boyish to have a name like protossfan and have a Protoss picture in it so I felt I needed to rectify that. Hopefully, this new username and picture won't have the same feel to it.**

* * *

Chapter 14: New neighbors.

"Okay. So, we're just going to just visit the Protoss's new home and do nothing but sight see?" Asked Natsu. Once he got a confirming nod from Lucy, he groaned. "But that's so boring!" Whined Natsu as he and team Natsu along with Levy, Pantherlily, and Gajeel were walking to where the Protoss built their base of operations. The people of Fiore were a little disappointed and even scared when their new neighbors decided to build a military base on the land the kind gave them but Artanis assured them that they meant no harm to the people of Fiore. "Why do we have to do this anyway?"

" ***Sigh** s* Because, Natsu, it's what neighbors do with each other and since the Protoss are our neighbors now, it's our duty to make them comfortable in their new home. Plus, the king wanted to see if the Protoss are doing anything suspicious. So, it's our job to see if they're planning anything against the kingdom" Said Lucy. She was honestly hoping that the Protoss were not going to war against them. She had seen first-hand what their technology and warriors could do and she was honestly afraid on facing any of them in combat, much less a war. So was the king. That was why he requested Fairy Tail to check on the Protoss to see if they were doing anything suspicious. The king may trust them but he also needed to ensure the safety of the people of Fiore.

"Not to mention all the wonderful things we can learn from them!" Exclaimed Levy happily as she walked. She remembered when Artanis told her some information about his people and how amazed she was at it all. And now she had another opportunity to learn more about the Protoss and how they work. Gajeel simply grunted in annoyance, pretending to not care for Levy's interest in the Protoss. He wasn't jealous or anything.

"Plus, it would be good for you to learn something other than fighting." Said Erza. An amused smirk on her face when Natsu pouted at her remark. Everyone else just smiled, glad that Erza was back to her normal self. It took a while but after some comfort from Jellal and her guildmates, she finally accepted Millianna's death and went back to her old personality. Though they were careful at mentioning Millianna to her, lest she goes back to brooding.

"As if Natsu can learn anything." Remarked Gray. This caused Natsu to glare at Gray.

"You wanna go! Snow princess!" Yelled Natsu as the two got ready to brawl. They were, however, stopped by Erza, who slammed their heads together in annoyance. They then soon got back to walking after a threat from Erza to Gray and Natsu, which caused to them to shiver in fear. After a while of walking they were soon upon the gleaming base/city the Protoss made in a span of a few mouths. They were amazed, awed, or impressed at the city they made. It was so beautiful and elegant. It looked like it was made from gold and lacrima with how the metals and crystals of the Protoss structures gleamed and glowed in the sunlight.

"It's so beautiful." Said Wendy in awe with everyone else nodding in agreement. The city the Protoss made easily surpassed the Royal Palace in beauty and elegance.

"It is stunning is it not?" Asked a voice they all knew. They turned to see Artanis with several of his bodyguards. "Greetings, Fairy Tail. I hope that your trip here was not difficult." Lucy smiled at Artanis.

"It wasn't any trouble. Just a short train trip and walk and we're here. Nothing happened on the way here." Said Lucy.

"Speak for yourself!" Yelled out Natsu, remembering the train ride. He felt like he was going to die. Artanis chuckled at Natsu before motioning the mages to follow him into the city. Once inside, they couldn't help but be amazed at what they saw. The city was even more beautiful up close. The buildings all had those crystals the Protoss call khaydarin crystals. The crystals glowed blue and seemed to be floating in the air. Everyone noticed Levy looking at the crystals with wonder filled eyes.

"Can I have a sample to study, Artanis?" Asked Levy curiously and hope filled eyes. The look she gave him tempted him to do so but Artanis knew that he shouldn't. Not yet at least.

"I'm sorry, Levy, but I cannot do such a thing yet. It's complicated." Said Artanis. Levy looked disappointed a bit but quickly shook it off.

"It's alright. I understand." Said Levy as she began to take notes on the crystal. "If it's alright. Can I at least take notes on them."

"Of course." Said Artanis. Levy smiled a big smile before resuming to take notes on the crystal floating on top of what the Protoss call a nexus. Seeing that she was going to be distracted a bit, Artanis ordered a guard to escort her to his office when she was done. With that, he resumed to escort the rest of the mages around the base. Sometime later, Artanis was amazed at how the mages were so impressed and awed at the architecture of his people. He already knew that the mages knew that the buildings they were impressed with were used for war but he suspected they didn't care. The buildings were still a part of Protoss culture and they wanted to know more about their new allies and their lifestyle. Something that Artanis can understand. He hoped that, one day, he can build a city that wasn't made for war but was for the comfort of everyday citizens on this planet. But until then, he had to make a military presence first in case something happened to his people or to Fiore. As they were walking down a street, the mages noticed that the buildings were designed in three different styles as well as colors.

"Hey Artanis. What's with the different styles?" Asked Wendy as they passed a Nerazim building and a Purifier building.

"The difference in our architecture is because long ago, my people were divided. And ever since that division, we had made new architectural designs. As you can see with this Nerazim gateway and this Templar gateway." Explained Artanis as he pointed to two gateways of different designs. "It was only recently our people reunified with each other. I have allowed these different designs to stay because they represent the independence and culture of my people. Taking away that will incite rebellion and civil war between my people. I will not allow that." The Fairy Tail mages nodded in understanding. People will do anything to preserve their freedom and art as they define what a people are.

"Has there been issues? There must have been grudges between the different sects of your people." Said Pantherlily.

" ***Sighs*** There have. Armed rebellions and murders have happened between the different sects of my people. We try and stop these and encourage unity but people just don't want to listen." Said Artanis, causing some shocked expression from those from Fairy Tail. "It is difficult to let go of past prejudices. I would know."

"You used to have problems with your own kind?" Asked Gray.

"Yes. Once, before I became hierarch, I used to view the Nerazim as traitors and rogues that must be eliminated." Said Artanis, causing some shocked expressions. "I kept these until I met my soon-to-be friend and mentor, Zeratul." Everyone listened intently to this. "He showed me that the Nerazim were not so different to the Templar. They were still honorable and cared about their home land. They cared so much for it that, despite being ousted from it by their own brethren, they came and assisted us in defending Aiur. As I fought besides my friend, my prejudices began to vanish and I realized that what I was taught about the Nerazim was a lie. They were still Protoss and they deserved to live. Upon realizing this, I swore to end the divide between my people and unify them in a just government." With that, he looked around to see expressions of awe and approval from the Fairy Tail mages. It's obvious that they all agreed with his views and goals.

"That was a fine story, Artanis." Said Erza with a smile on her face. "It's good to see that there are people like you as a leader."

"Thank you. I admit, being hierarch is rather stressful at times." Said Artanis. "Some people even question whether someone my age should be in charge."

"What. Your age?" Asked Lucy. "How old are you?"

"This may be a shock to you all but I am actually 314 years old." Said Artanis, causing all the mages to look at him with wide eyes, shocked expressions, and opened mouths.

"314!" Yelled out Gray in disbelief. "And your considered young!"

"Your pulling our legs!" Yelled out Gajeel.

"I am not 'pulling your legs', as you put it, I am considered young for Protoss. I know this seems like a lie to you all but it is the truth. Protoss live far longer than you Terrans." Said Artanis. After everyone calmed down, Erza asked some questions.

"If your considered young, then how are you so high up in the ranks of your people?" Asked Erza.

"During my youth, I impressed my instructors and commanders enough that some of them recommended me to become an executor. And after I achieved a major victory for my people during my first operation as executor, they allowed me to stay as one. With this along with my skills in combat, I was chosen to be the hierarch of the Daelaam." Explained Artanis.

"So how long can your people live?" Asked Carla, still shocked at how old Artanis actually was.

"Originally, we Protoss can live up to 1000 years but recent advances in medical technology has resulted in us living up to 1500 years. Even then, there were some individuals that live far longer due to either good health or cybernetics or both." Explained Artanis as everyone took this information in.

"So you can see our great grandchildren grow up and have children right?" Asked Gray. Seeing Artanis nod made Gray groan.

"I must admit that is an impressive life span for a species." Said Carla with Pantherlily, Lucy, Erza, and Gajeel nodding their heads in agreement.

"One questions." Said Natsu as everyone turned to him. "How do you guys eat?" This questions had his guildmates fall to the ground in disbelief while Artanis blinked in surprise at the question. "What?" Asked Natsu at seeing his friends on the ground. "You got to admit that is a good question. I mean, c'mon, these guys have no mouths!" Said Natsu while pointing at Artanis, specifically at where his mouth should be. As they got up, the Fairy Tail mages couldn't help but agree. They also wondered why the Protoss had no mouths but it was still a rude question nevertheless.

"Natsu." Said Erza as she summoned a sword, intending to gut Natsu for disrespecting their neighbor. She was about to swing it at Natsu's shaking figure when Artanis stopped her.

"It is alright, Erza. I'm not offended." Said Artanis, watching in relief as Erza just glared at Natsu before making her sword disappear. "To answer your question, Natsu, we Protoss have a rather unique way of gathering nourishment. We can actually gain nutrients from the sun and what water we need is absorbed by our skin." Explained Artanis and, as he expected, they all looked at him in disbelief and opened mouths and wide eyes.

"Okay. You have got to be pulling our leg with that one." Said Gajeel. Seeing that Artanis was serious, he began to sputter. "B-but that's impossible!" Yelled out Gajeel as he held his head in disbelief. "What are you? Some kind of plant people!?" Now Artanis looked offended and narrowed his eyes at Gajeel.

"Gajeel has a point." Said Natsu, holding his chin. "The only things around that can do that are plants. Are your people part plant or something, Artanis?" Now Artanis was getting annoyed at these questions. To the point that, he allowed Erza to mercilessly beat up the two dragon slayers up. The other Fairy Tail mages allowed it as well, feeling they deserved it for comparing the Protoss to plants. As this was happening, Artanis was wondering what would have happened if Alarak was around to hear about that comment. He chalked it up to gutting Natsu and Gajeel as well as torturing them very slowly. Possibly killing their loved ones as well. After Erza was done beating up the dragon slayers and Wendy finished healing them up, the tour continued. As they were walking, Wendy and Lucy couldn't help but notice there were a lack of Tal'darim buildings.

"Hey Artanis? Why aren't there any Tal'darim buildings around?" Asked Lucy as Artanis stopped to answer her question.

"The Tal'darim wish to be independent from the rest of us, I'm afraid. They have built their base somewhere else far away from here." Explained Artanis.

"How come?" Asked Natsu.

"It's complicated Natsu." Said Artanis. "The Tal'darim believe the other Protoss fractions to be soft and weak. Unfit to be Protoss. They believe that they are the what Protoss are supposed to be. And they will kill anyone that dares to trespass or offends them in any way or form." Said Artanis, making everyone nervous but also angry. Their opinion of the Tal'darim were going down as they learn more about their culture and ways. Even the royal family was disgusted with them and they only interact with them because of Artanis promising that he will keep the Tal'darim and Alarak in line. That and the fact the Tal'darim will destroy Fiore if they were ignored.

"Why are you friends with them anyway?" Asked Erza with a raised eyebrow. "Both of your people and Alaraks are so different from each other, that it seems impossible for any of you to get along."

"I agree." Said Artanis. "But events in the past have led us to make an unexpected alliance between each other." Said Artanis, causing everyone to look at him in curiosity.

"What kind of events?" Asked Wendy, wondering what events will lead to two radically different people to ally with each other. The answer she got both scared her and worried her.

"An event that could have caused my people to go extinct along with countless others." Said Artanis gravely, making everyone shudder. They then continued with the tour but with much less enthusiasm than before.

"By the way, what's Alarak doing right now?" Asked Gray. He along with everyone else was curious what the high lord was doing right now.

"Apparently, Alarak is out exterminating dark guilds. It's his way of showing his appreciation to the kingdom for giving him some territory." Said Artanis, hoping that Alarak wasn't doing anything rash or stupid.

"Hierarch!" The group stopped suddenly when they heard someone yell. They looked around to see a Zealot running up to the group. He stopped just before the Hierarch.

"What is it?" Asked Artanis, curious on why the Zealot was calling for him.

"It is about Alarak sir." Said the Zealot. "He brought with him a mage. She seems to be in danger." This caused the Fairy Tail mages to look at the Zealot in alarm and worry.

"Who is the mage?" Asked Erza. The answer she got caused her to be filled with dread and horror.

"It is the mage known as Meredy." Said the Zealot. "She is currently in the infirmary with Alarak. I can show you to it right now." With that Erza walked up to the Zealot and ordered him to take them to her now. The Zealot looked a bit frightened but a nod from the hierarch told him to do so. The Zealot then led the group to the hospital as quickly as he could. As they were running, the group of mages hoped that Meredy will be alright.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

* * *

 **Daelaam base of operations in Fiore**

 **Medical facility**

* * *

Alarak watched as several Daelaam healers and doctors attended to the wounded wizard. They were trying hard to find what was wrong with her and how to treat it. One attempted to enter her mind, only for her to start thrashing around until he stopped. As this was happening, Alarak couldn't help but recall how this all happened.

* * *

 **Fiore**

 **Somewhere near Protoss territory**

 **Sometime ago**

* * *

In a large building in the middle of nowhere, a group of dark mages were running away from something. All of them had a fearful expression on their faces and they all bore the signs of battle on their bodies. They were about to stop and catch their breath when one of them was suddenly stopped with a shocked look in his face. The others looked at their guildmate in shock, which soon turned to horror when a Tal'darim blood hunter revealed himself to the dark mages, one of the tips of his scythe's energy blades was imbedded in their comrades body, going completely through it and coming out the other end. As the life faded from their friend's eyes, the blood hunter grunted and removed his weapon from the corpse before charging at the group. A few tried to fight back but the blood hunter dodged every one of them and began to cut all the wizards down. Limbs were flying and there was screaming as the bane-blades cut through the wizards like butter. Soon, there was nothing left but a mess of limps surrounding the blood hunter. The blood hunter looked at the carnage before cloaking again and running off, wanting to find more target to kill.

Meanwhile, in another area, Alarak and a few of his supplicants were busy annihilating wizards from the same dark guild. Alarak was laughing as he attacked the wizards while his supplicants were providing him energy. Said energy was coursing through him and was providing him with extra strength, agility, and power, which could be seen as he slaughtered the wizards with ease. Many tried to fight back but were cut down by the vicious Tal'darim. Some went down to their knees and begged for mercy, only to receive psionic lightning. As Alarak killed the last remaining few, he couldn't help but remember how this all happened. It all started when one of his patrol groups was attacked by a dark guild. Apparently, the land the Protoss were given had several dark guilds within the vicinity and one got arrogant enough to attack them. Such blatant disrespect demanded retribution and Alarak was more than happy to do so. As he finished slicing the head off the last wizard, one of his zealot warrior ran up to him.

"My lord, we have a complication." Said the zealot. Alarak looked at the zealot in curiosity.

"What is it?" Asked Alarak.

"It appears one of the wizards from Crime Sorcière is here." Said the zealot. Alarak was surprised and annoyed at this. He didn't expect one of the Crime Sorcière guild to be here. He knew about them from what he discerned from reading the mind off from the one called Meredy. He knew about their goals and morals and it all disgusted him to no end. Redemption from past actions? He thought it was pathetic. They should just ignore their past actions and simply look to the future.

"Who is it?" Asked Alarak. The answer he got annoyed him even more.

"The one called Meredy, my lord." Alarak growled at this.

"Take me to her." Said Alarak, his eyes flaring at the mention of Meredy. The zealot nodded and escorted Alarak to where Meredy is. As they were walking Alarak couldn't help but think about Meredy. The pink-haired woman, while annoying him with her morals, intrigued him. She treated the woman that caused her previous life to be ruined with kindness and compassion. Not to mention, she treated her like her actual mother. It confused Alarak. How could one treat someone that caused them so much pain with such devotion and love? Terrans were confusing that way. His thought were cut short when he spotted Meredy being held by two of his warriors while also having more of his men guarding her. She was struggling to get out of the strong grip of his warriors. He chuckled as she tried to no avail.

"My, my, what have we here? A child at the wrong place, at the wrong time." Said Alarak as Meredy noticed his presence. "What are you doing here, child?" Asked Alarak as he slid a finger along Meredy's cheek. She winced as the sharp armored finger slid along her skin, causing a minor cut. She kept a brave face, though, and glared at Alarak.

"None of your business." Said Meredy. She winced when her captures tightened their grips on her arms. "I demand that you release me!" As a response, the Tal'darim chuckled at her defiance and demand.

 **"*Chuckles*** Oh, you are still as sharped tongue as I remember. Now, tell me why you are here before I have to read your mind again." Said Alarak as he looked down at Meredy. She bit her lip as sweat fell down her face, wondering if she should talk. In the end, she decided to talk as she knew that keeping something secret was pointless against Alarak.

"We found some dark guilds around here but we didn't know where exactly. So, we split up to find them. I was looking around this place when I heard screams and sounds of fighting. I ran to investigate and, sure enough, your goons caught be off guard and captured me." Said Meredy as she glared at the group that captured her, who all either ignored it or were amused at her defiance.

"It appears you are as weak as I thought you are if you were caught off guard that easily." Commented Alarak, receiving a glare from Meredy. "Now, your little guild knows that this territory belongs to the Protoss. Explain to me why you all decided to march up into our territory and do whatever you do within said territory."

"You already know why." Said Meredy. "To take down the dark guilds here."

"I assume you mean by not killing them." Said Alarak sarcastically. "Honestly, you three annoy me with your pitiful attempts of nobility and heroism. Why bother with redemption when you should focus on what is in right in front of you?" Meredy glared at Alarak, she was getting sick and tired of his attitude.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." Said Meredy. "All you care about is yourself and killing. You never had to deal with what we had to." Said Meredy. All she got was a chuckle of amusement from Alarak, further annoying her.

"If you think that what you dealt with in your lifetime is comparable to mine, then you are a fool. There are things out there that are more dangerous than you know." Said Alarak. The two were about to enter another argument when a blood hunter rushed to Alarak.

"Highlord! I have urgent news! There are hybrid in the area!" Said the Blood hunter. Alarak looked at him in both surprise and excitement. Finally, there was an opponent worth killing. "Also, one of the hybrids is different from the rest. It appears to be far stronger than the rest."

"Really?" Asked Alarak. "Then it is a worthy challenge to face. Where is it?" Before the Blood hunter could respond, a hybrid dominator appeared and swatted the Blood hunter away.

"Here." Said the dominator as it towered over Alarak. Alarak just looked at the dominator. He noticed that it was like the one that attacked Artanis during the dragon invasion. "I challenge you Alarak, Highlord of the Tal'darim, to a duel. Unless you plan to let your minions to deal with me like a coward." Alarak chuckled dangerously at this.

"You must be a fool to call me a coward. No one has done so and lived." Said Alarak as he ignited his bane blades and got into a fighting stance. "Still, I accept. Prepare yourself as you will be slain by Alarak, Highlord of the Tal'darim!" With that he charged at the dominator, who summoned orbs of psionic power on both of it's hands. He then threw them at Alarak, the orbs speeding to the Highlord at break-neck speeds. Alarak dodged them at the nick of time, causing the two orbs to hit near where Meredy was. The resulting blast knocked her and her captures off the ground. Unfazed at this, Alarak used a deadly charge at the dominator, causing him to be pushed back as his shields broke. Alarak then proceeded to cut and slash at the dominator, cutting off a tentacle here and there and even sliced off part of the dominator's head fringe. The dominator growled and psionically grab Alarak, who attempted to break free. He struggled and tried to fight back with his own Psionic powers but the dominator's own was superior to his, surprising him as he was one of the strongest psionic warriors the Protoss have. The grip the dominator had was tight. He couldn't even lift a finger. The dominator then threw Alarak at a boulder. The Highlord grunted as he hit the boulder before getting up.

He looked at the dominator with narrowed eyes before firing psionic lightening at the dominator, who proceeded to do the same, causing a deadlock to happen between the two. The two poured as much psionic energy as they can into their attacks as the they pushed at each other in order to get to their respectable targets. After a few minutes of this struggle, Alarak started to pant as his attack began to weaken. His psionic reserves were near their limits and it seems that the dominator's own was not yet depleted.

 **"*Chuckles*** This is the great Alarak." Taunted the dominator as his attack began to overpower Alaraks and was encroaching at Alarak himself. "Pathetic. I expected more from the Highlord." The attack was literally inches from Alarak when the dominator was stabbed with several swords, causing him to yell out in pain. It also caused him to disrupt his attack at Alarak, who was barely able to stand. He looked at where the swords stabbed him. The swords were blue, made of magic and caused extreme pain to him despite some of them only scratching him. He growled as he looked at Meredy, who had several other swords all around her. "You will regret that, girl." Said the dominator as he fired psionic lightening at Meredy, who dodged it before firing her swords at the dominator. He chuckled as the swords bounced off his now replenished psionic barriers. He then telekinetically grabbed Meredy and psionically forced her to him.

"You are very brave child." Said the dominator as it grabbed at Meredy's head, slowly squeezing it. Meredy winced as the dominator's hand slowly began to crush her head. "And you magic is most impressive. So sad that you have to die now. But first, I'll think I'll make you suffer first." With that the dominator's eyes glowed and soon Meredy's eyes widen and she began to scream. As this was happening, Alarak supplicants came to their master's aid. As they transferred their life essence to Alarak, dying as a result, he looked to see the dominator causing great pain to Meredy. Both psychically and mentally as the dominator began to slash and cut her up as he played with her mind. Alarak growled as he watched this happen. As much as he disliked saying it, he owed the girl for saving his life and it wouldn't do if she died while he owed her something. Plus, he would be a laughing stock (In his mind at least.) if he was rescued by a wizard and he let her die when he was at his full potential. He then used his newly restored powers and began to charge up for a powerful psionic attack. He charged up psionic energy for 30 seconds before unleashing it all at the dominator, who, noticing the massive psionic energy coming from Alarak, teleported to safety. This caused Alarak to scoff before he proceeded to check up on Meredy. When he got there, he had to admit, he was impressed with the damage the dominator did.

The pink-haired wizards was a mess, her limps were sprawled everywhere, her clothes were ripped and blood was leaking from her wounds. Her hair was also a mess and her face was dirty with both blood and dirt. He noticed that her eyes were closed and that she was whimpering as tears fell down from her face in massive amounts. He also noticed that blood was spewing a lot of blood from a large slash on her stomach. He looked around to see his remaining supplicants and warriors coming to him and Meredy.

"What is your orders, Highlord?" Asked one of his supplicants. Alarak looked at the slowly dying wizard for a moment before replying.

"Stabilize her and get her to the Daelaam as quickly as possible. I will accompany those that do this." Said Alarak, causing his warriors to look at each other, wondering why the Highlord wanted to accompany the wizard. Nonetheless they complied and the began to treat Meredy for her wounds. As this was happening, Alarak looked at where the dominator disappeared. He had a feeling that dominator will come back and cause trouble for him, Artanis, and Fiore.

* * *

 **Present**

 **Daelaam base of operations in Fiore**

* * *

In a matter of hours, Alarak and Meredy arrived at the Daelaam base and managed to get her to a medical facility in time. She had since been stabilized and healed through psionics. Now, she was resting to regain her strength. As she was resting however, Alarak and her doctors noticed that something was troubling her as she constantly made faces of pain and even struggled in her slumber every now and then. When Alarak mentioned that a dominator tapped into her mind, the doctors theorized that the dominator must have caused something unpleasant to Meredy's mind that was causing her fits. The doctors tried to help her by tapping in her mind but stopped when Meredy went into a state of hysteria whenever they did so.

"It appears that the dominator put a fail-safe in case this happens." Said a doctor as he examined a machine that was monitoring Meredy. "Whenever we try to enter the wizard's mind, she enters a state of hysteria, that if continues long enough, will cause permanent damage to her mind and even kill her. I'm afraid that there's nothing that we can do." Alarak, if he could, would have sneered at this. The doctors were too soft to do what must be done.

"You Daelaam, once again, show your weakness." Said Alarak causing some eyes to glare at him. "I will do this my way. I will enter her mind and figure out what is wrong." This caused many to widen their eyes in shock.

"But, Highlord, that may kill her!" Protested a doctor. He would have said more but Alarak put a bane-blade near his neck as a warning to stop.

"I will do this and nothing you all can say will stop me." Said Alarak, glaring at them all. The doctors looked at each other before one of them sighed.

"What will we do in the meantime?" Asked the doctor.

"Tell Artanis what is happening when he gets here and gets some sedatives for this one." Ordered Alarak, pointing at Meredy. "We'll need it if I'm going into her mind." The doctors then scrambled to get the required materials. Once they returned, they began to administer the proper medicine that they knew would be compatible with Terrans.

"We'll be telling the hierarch was is happening when he gets here." Said one of the doctors as Alarak was getting ready to enter Meredy's mind. Alarak just nodded and then entered a meditative stance, Soon, a flow of red energy emerged from Alarak's mind and flowed to Meredy's own mind. It was like a circle of water as the energy went back and forth toward the two. The Protoss healers and doctors knew what this was. It was Alarak channeling his mind into Meredy's own to heal her mental damage. It was a technique used by the Protoss to find memories of criminals to find evidence of their crimes as most Protoss have a way to block mind reading. Though this technique wasn't made for repairing mental damage, scientists have proven that it can when they attempted to do it with a Terran whose mental stability was damaged after fighting a Zerg incursion. After a few minutes, Artanis arrived with the group from Fairy Tail. The wizards widened when they saw that state Meredy is and what Alarak is doing. Levy, who found the group running to the hospital and decided to follow them, was both horrified and curious on what was going on. Erza then marched up to one of the doctors and grabbed him by his ropes.

"What's going on?" Asked Erza through gritted teeth. The doctors looked nervous when Artanis placed his hand on Erza, who looked at his eyes. His eyes held sympathy in them but they also contained a message; Stop or else. She sighed before letting go of the doctor. "Forgive me. It's just my friend…" Erza then looked at Meredy with sadden eyes.

"It is alright, Erza, but you must remain calm." Said Artanis as he looked at Meredy. Most of her wounds were treated for but the more serious wounds still required time to fix and were heavily bandaged. The bandages were dark red. As if someone splattered paint on them. Artanis looked at her with saddened eyes before looking at the doctors.

"What happened and what is Alarak doing?" Asked Artanis.

"From what Alarak told us, a hybrid fought both him and Meredy and that it damaged her both physically and mentally." Explained one of the healers. Artanis eyes widened at the mention of hybrid. They were here? "And as for what Alarak is doing, he's entered Meredy's mind and is attempting to fix the mental damage."

"How?" Asked Lucy, though she was horrified at Meredy's condition, she was also wondering how Alarak can help.

"What Alarak is doing right now, is using a Protoss technique that allows one to enter the mind of another." Explained Artanis as he observed Alarak's performing the technique. "It allows one to observe the memories' of another and even help heal any damage within the mind." Everyone looked at Artanis in awe. Except for Natsu, who looked confused at what Artanis just said.

"So…he's in Meredy's head?" Asked Natsu as he waved his hand in front of Alarak's face, who was immobile and unresponsive.

"Yes. His conscious is." Said Artanis, knowing that he'll have to explain this as easy as he can to Natsu. "He won't be able to respond to anything we do until his conscious is back inside his own body."

"I still don't get it." Said Natsu as he knocked on Alarak's head. Everyone sighed in irritation at Natsu's obliviousness.

"Don't lose your head on thinking it over, flame brain." Whispered Gray as he knew that would cause a fight between them and, right now, they couldn't do that. He and Natsu may fight anywhere but a hospital was out of the question. Especially if they were in a room with a critically wounded person.

"Can we enter her mind?" Asked Erza as she held Meredy's hand, worry evident in her eyes.

"You can't." Said another healer. "Whenever we attempted to enter her mind, she began to fight back. And if we remained any longer, she would have died. Alarak is only able to enter her mind because we had her put-on sedatives." Artanis's face grew grim at that. He knew that the sedatives wouldn't last long and that soon, Meredy would be threshing around and hurt herself. Plus, he didn't know how much time Alarak needed to fix her mind.

"Then we will help Alarak by giving him more time." Said Artanis as he turned toward the wizards. "Do any of you know any spells that can dull Meredy's senses and her mind?" The group looked at each other before Wendy stepped forward, a determined look on her face.

"Tell me what I have to do." Said Wendy with confidence. Artanis looked at her with respect before instructing her on what to do.

"I'm attempt to calm her mind. I need you to help restore my energy in case I ever run out as we don't know how long Alarak would stay there. I also need you to heal some of her wounds." Said Artanis. The two then got to work. Wendy began to heal Meredy with her powers while Artanis began to use his psionics to calm her mind. The doctors, meanwhile, helped by providing status report on Meredy's condition. As this was all happening, everyone was praying that Alarak can help Meredy in time.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Meredy's mind**

* * *

In the dark depths of Meredy's mind a flash of red energy appeared on a stone platform before it revealed Alarak. He looked around the area and was amused. It was darker than what he initially thought it would be. There were floating slaps of stone all around him, some having a door on top of them. The area was also dark with little-to-no light aside from a few glowing ball of light. Seeing that he needed more light, he ignited his bane-blades and used them as a sort of light source. He then began his long trek at helping Meredy recover her mind. He decided to help her by, going into one of the doors. He entered it and was immediately blinded by a bright light. After it subsided, he was treated to a sight of a small town. He looked around and saw a few children playing around somewhere near the town. He then noticed one of them had pink hair and looked suspiciously like Meredy, causing him to march up to them but not before engaging his cloak. He then heard giggling from the child that looked like Meredy, causing him to look at her just when she caught a small flying insect.

"Guys, look! I found a butterfly!" Said the girl as she showed her friends, who all looked amazed at her find.

"It's so pretty, Meredy." Said another girl. Alarak rose an eyebrow at this. So this girl was Meredy when she was younger. This also meant that this was before she was taken in by the dark guild Grimoire Heart. The other kids looked at her as she let the butterfly go. They all then proceeded to play around when they heard a woman's voice.

"Meredy! It's time to go." Said a woman as she approached the group. Alarak observed the woman as she ran up to both him and the group. He was surprised at her appearance. She looked almost like what Meredy is right now as she had the same facial structure and hair color as Meredy when she was older. The only difference was that she had green eyes instead of red like Meredy's. Speaking of her, the child version of Meredy groaned before going with the woman but not before telling her friends that she'll come back to play with them tomorrow. With that, the two females walked to the town, causing Alarak to follow them. As they walked around the village, Alarak couldn't help but look over the place. It was rather dull and interesting to him. It was the same as all those other villages he went to during his time here. There was a market place in the center of town where people would buy or barter items, a building for the Terran's religion, and a town hall. Everything else was just storage rooms, bakeries, and houses. He was about to scoff when he heard the two females converse with each other.

"When is daddy coming home, mommy?" Asked Meredy as she looked at her mother with her green eyes, something that surprised Alarak, that were full of innocence. Her mother simply looked at her daughter with a smile.

"He'll be home soon, sweetie." Said the mother as she ruffled Meredy's hair, who looked like she enjoyed it. "In the meantime, let's go get something for your father." Meredy looked excited at that and the two went to the market place to buy something. Since then, the two did nothing of importance or note. All they did was shop, go visit friends, and go back to their home to prepare for the father. Alarak was about to leave this memory when he heard a scream coming from Meredy's home. Curious, Alarak investigated to see something revolting. He saw a cloaked assailant ripping the clothes off of Meredy's mom while another held Meredy, a knife against her throat. The girl was crying and looked scared as she saw the assailant take off her mother's clothes. The assailant then proceeded to cut her up, using a knife to slice off or cut into the mother's skin. They had a hand over her mouth so she couldn't speak and they had tied her down tightly so her entire front was exposed. The mother screamed out in pain and terror as the assailant cut deep wounds on her stomach and began cutting her face, all the while Meredy begged him to stop. Seeing enough of this, Alarak barged right in and disengaged his cloak. Everyone looked shocked as Alarak made himself known. Before they could react, Alarak sliced off the head of the assailant holding Meredy. He then grabbed the assailant cutting up Meredy's mom before grabbing his throat and ripping it out of his body. The man gurgled out blood and began to choke up some words before dying. After throwing the body away, Alarak cut the mother loss. Seeing that they were now safe, Meredy ran up to her mother, who was now succumbing to blood loss.

"Mommy!" Cried Meredy as she hugged her mother. The mother looked at her child with dull eyes, the life within them nearly gone.

"Meredy…don't worry. Mommy is going to be alright." Said the mother, causing Alarak to roll his eyes. It was clear she was dying and she was attempting to reassure her child that she wasn't. Why bother with that. They should just tell the truth and let the child deal with it now rather than make them deal with it later.

"You clearly are not." Said Alarak as he approached the two. "You need some medical assistance, otherwise you'll die, leaving your child motherless." The woman looked at Alarak with sad eyes while Meredy widened her own at the news.

"Is this true, mommy?" Asked Meredy. Her mother then looked at her daughter with sad eyes before nodding in confirmation. This caused her to cry and wrap her arms around her mother. "Please don't die, mommy. I love you!" Yelled Meredy as she cried into her mother's shoulder. She then turned toward Alarak. "Please save her mister! Please!" Alarak just rolled his eyes and watched the dying woman. She looked regretful and sad, probably thinking that nothing can help her. Alarak scoffed at this, he wasn't about to let his powers be looked down upon. He then knelled before the woman and held his hands over her wounds. His hands then glowed, causing the woman to scream in pain. This caused Meredy to widen her eyes before grabbing Alarak's arm.

"Stop! You're supposed to help, mommy, not hurt her!" Protested Meredy as she attempted to pull off his arm away from her mother. To no avail. She then began to cry, thinking that she will lose her mother to the one that saved them. Soon, much to her surprise, she heard her mother gasp in relief. She looked at her hesitantly and, to her joy and relief, her mother was completely healed with the weird man looking at her in annoyance. "Mommy!" Yelled Meredy as she hugged her mother, who returned it eagerly. As this was happening, the mother looked at Alarak with joy. She then silently mouthed 'thank you' at him, causing him to scoff as he cloaked himself again before leaving. As he was leaving, he saw a man with red-eyes ran to the house with several men. He heard a gasp and heard someone rushing to somewhere, likely Meredy and her mother. Unamused, Alarak decided to continue his journey on fixing Meredy's mind. He used his psionic powers to will himself out of this memory. Soon, he was back to where he started, only to find some more livelier background around him.

The place was not dark as it used to be. Though it was still dark, there were some patches of lights and plant growth around him. Seeing this, he suspected he must of restored something, resulting in Meredy's mind to slowly heal. With that, he looked around to see that the slaps of stone were surrounded in darkness. He suspected that he must go to each and repair any problems they have in order to heal Meredy. With that knowledge, he went into another door.

* * *

 **I'm making this unnecessarily dark, am I?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

* * *

 **Daelaam base of operations for all activities in Fiore**

 **Medical facility**

* * *

As the Fairy Tail wizards were waiting for Alarak to finish whatever he was doing in Meredy's head, they prayed and hoped that Meredy will be alright after this. The girl had suffered so much throughout her life, that it seemed wrong to have her life be taken away so quickly. Especially, since she was trying to repent for her mistakes. Artanis, as well, was praying for Alarak's success. However, he also wondered why he did so. Alarak was not the type to do such an act without gaining something in return. Was he hoping to get a favor from Meredy? Or was he doing this because he wanted to? Artanis highly doubted the latter, but time will tell in the end. For now, he had to work on keeping Meredy's mind as calm as possible. The doctors were helping as well but they were quickly getting tired. Whatever the hybrid did to her, it was something powerful. He had to deal with this as soon as possible. So, he ordered one of his guards to have a task group be assigned to find any and all information about hybrids on Fiore. He then looked at Meredy, calm as she can possibly be.

" _Alarak, you better know what you're doing in there_." Thought Artanis as he continued to suppress Meredy's mind.

* * *

 **Meredy's mind**

* * *

 _"This Terran has some issues when she was younger."_ Thought Alarak as he witnessed a young Meredy fighting against the water wizard of Fairy Tail, Juvia. Apparently, back then, during her dark guild days, she was a little too loyal to Ultear, so much so that she was willing to put her guild's mission aside, so that she can kill Gray Fullbuster herself. Alarak wouldn't say that he disagreed with her goal, as he did similar things in the past. What he did disagree on, was her obsession in killing Gray. Even, he wasn't as obsessed with gaining vengeance on Amon or Ma'lash. As he observed the fight between her and Juvia, he began to think on what he did before this. During his time in Meredy's mind, he began to fix memories here and there that were corrupted from the hybrid's attacks. He didn't even notice they were corrupted until he saw the memory of her meeting him for the first time. It was drastically different from how it actually turned out. Instead of leaving peacefully, his memory persona executed killed the Lamia Scale wizards, rather brutally, before leaving her with a scar on her left eye. After altering that to it's proper course, he began to wonder why the hybrid would do such a thing instead of killing her outright. Did he want to make her suffer or wanted him to do this? Either way, he owed this Terran a debt and he will repay it by saving her life. So, he went out and rectified any problems that he seemed fit to correct. And he was amazed by what happened after. Right after he seemingly altered event in a memory, Meredy's mind seemed to rectify the changes, both the hybrid's and his own, and revert the memory back to it's original form. This was confirmed after he changed the memory he met her by killing one of the Lamia Scale wizards. The memory played out, exactly how it happened.

He was relieved at this. He didn't want to deal with the nagging from her, _'mother',_ about him going into her mind and altering her a great deal. With that thought out of the way, he continued to watch Meredy fight Juvia. He had to admit he never thought the blue-haired girl was so obsessed with the always half-naked Terran, that she would go crazy at the mere mention of someone killing him. The aura she had now impressed even him. If only it was out of hatred and angry, then he will be interested in her. Unfortunately, this woman was too obsessive, even for him. Nevertheless, he watched as the two girls fought against each other. He got even more interested when Meredy linked the two, along with Gray Fullbuster, to each other, using her magic of linking people's emotions together to do so. He also got intrigued when Meredy mentioned that if any of them die, they all die. Now, that got his attention. If he had such a power, he could kill his enemies and any useless soldiers of his with one fell swoop. Unfortunately, it appeared only Meredy can use it as it was a long-forgotten magic. So, it appears he would have to pluck the information from her. He just simply scoffed at that, not minding doing it, but he had to do it later as he had a time-table. After watching the battle continue, and hearing a story from Meredy that just annoyed him, he decided to leave. Nothing seemed wrong with this memory. After seeing the two embrace, he took that as his cue to leave. He barely walked for a few seconds out when he heard a scream.

He stopped for a moment before walking away, chalking it up to the two fighting all over again. He was still walking when he heard more screams, but these weren't screams of pain. Rather they were screams of sorrow. Curious, he walked back to find Meredy clutching Juvia's headless corpse while, to his surprise, the hybrid that he faced before was hovering over her.

"Do you see what you did child?" Said the hybrid as he hovered over the two Terrans. "Do you see the pain and misery you caused her mother?" Raising a brow, Alarak walked more closely to the group and saw Meredy was crying. This confused Alarak. One moment, she was willing to kill Juvia and herself, and now she was crying her eyes out while embracing her dead opponent. Which also confused him as, from what Meredy said, if any of them died while they were linked together, they would all die. So why was Meredy still alive? He got his answer when Meredy spoke.

"I didn't mean to do this. I'm sorry, Ultear." Said Meredy as she bawled her eyes out.

"I very much doubt, she would listen to you anymore, child. After all, you did kill her yourself." Said the hybrid as it hovered over the two. Alarak then got the picture when he saw there was no pick bracelet on either Terran's arms. The hybrid, or an illusion, must have removed the link and killed Juvia. The fact that one of his hand was stained with blood supported this. He also managed to cast an illusion of Juvia's body to make Meredy think it was Ultear, which would explain why she was holding the body and crying her eyes out. "You see, child. You're nothing more than a waste of space and source of rotten luck. You're guild mates hate you, think you're nothing more than a weakling, and you even killed the only person that loved you." Said the hybrid.

"Shut up!" Yelled Meredy, glaring at the hybrid. "You're lying! If I did kill Ultear, then why am I still alive! I linked us!"

"Did you? You linked with the water mage, not Ultear. The water mage could have easily escaped, what with all this water." Said the hybrid. "And Ultear, given how much you say she loves, may have tried to find you. Which resulted in you killing her accidentally in your fit or rage. Oh, she must be so disappointed that you killed her. The girl that she raised like her own daughter."

"Shut up!" Yelled Meredy, but she was shutting her eyes close tightly and clutching her head in anguish. Alarak couldn't help but feel amusement, but also pity, for Meredy right now. He didn't like the girl, her sense of justice was appalling to him, but he did respect her for her stubbornness and bravery. Plus, he was here on a mission to help fix her mind and that was something he planned to do. So, without anymore hesitance, he summoned his psionic powers and blasted the hybrid into oblivion. He was surprised at how easily the hybrid went down, but he then remembered that this a mere illusion, not the real deal. He then looked down to see Meredy looking at him, both in fear and shock. He then sneered at her and pointed at the body before her. She looked down and her eyes widen in surprise before she backed away from the body.

"W-what happened?" Asked Meredy as she held her head in confusion. Alarak then glared at the girl before answering.

"Simple. That hybrid disrupted your battle with the water mage, breaking your link with her, and probably with the ice mage of Fairy Tail. He also managed to fool you by placing an illusion on the body, making it look like Ultear and that you did it." Explained Alarak. He looked at the headless mage before leaving. He was, however, stopped when Meredy ran up to him.

"Wait! What's your name?" Asked Meredy, wondering who saved her. Alarak turned to her.

"You'll find out later." Said Alarak before leaving. And like before, the memory started to repair itself. He checked it, just to be safe. After ensuring himself, that the memory was legit as he can possibly imagine, he continued his journey to fix Meredy's mind. As he was walking in the abyss of what was Meredy's mind, he noticed it was much livelier than before. Flowers were growing everywhere, light was nearly everywhere, and there were animals that were watching his every step. It all sickened him, but he had to admit, he liked to see his progress manifesting, even if it was something as something like this. He looked around for more doors and saw just one left. Relieved that his journey was nearly over, he opened it and saw something to his likening. Death and carnage was everywhere. People were screaming, running for their lives before being slaughtered by wizards. He saw mothers holding their children in their arms before they both were killed. He chuckled as he saw a group of Terrans being buried under rubble. This was something to his liking. However, much to his displeasure, he had to fix whatever was wrong here. So, he looked around, wondering what exactly was wrong with this memory. After spending a full ten minutes of watching people being slaughtered, he wondered if anything was even wrong with this memory. If his own memory was right, Meredy's home town was slaughtered by Grimoire heart. So, if that was true, then this must be her hometown. But, that confused him even more. If this city was destined to be destroyed, then what was the problem. He looked around, searching furiously for the problem, when he heard sobbing. Curious, he went to the source of the sobbing. After some time of walking, he found the source to be a crying child version of Meredy, and, much to his surprise, was the Meredy that he knew. The one that was stuck in a coma right now. He then walked up to the older Meredy and spoke.

"Something the matter, Terran?" Asked Alarak, causing Meredy to jump in surprise before looking at Alarak. She then glared at Alarak, amusing him.

"Yes, there is. Particularly, someone going around and messing with my memories. Care to explain why you're doing that?" Asked Meredy, her arms crossed over her chest. Alarak simply stared at her before complying.

"Is this how Terrans say, _'thank you'_? How incredibly rude." Said Alarak, annoying Meredy. "If you must know, I was trying to fix the damages, the hybrid caused on your mind. Given that you are here, I say that it was a success." The two had a stare down for a brief moment until Meredy sighed.

"Yes. Even though I don't want to say it, what you did helped." Said Meredy. "I'm recovering at a rapid rate and my real memories are coming back. It's only a matter of time before I full recover."

"If so, then why are you here?" Asked Alarak. Meredy sighed before looking at her younger self.

"It's because there's still some work to be done. My memories may be healed but something is preventing me from waking up. That's why I need your help." Said Meredy.

"Really?" Asked Alarak. "You want me to be your shinning knight in armor? Rescuing you and taking your hand in marriage?" Mocked Alarak, causing Meredy to blush.

"What?! No! Nothing like that!" Protested Meredy, her face completely red. "I just think that I don't have the strength needed to beat whatever is damaging my mind. Think of yourself as insurance." Alarak just chuckled in amusement.

"Whatever you say, Terran. Now, let's go and defeat whatever is preventing you from recovering, so I can leave this place." With that, Alarak proceeded to exit the memory, Meredy soon following. She soon took the lead and escorted Alarak to where they needed to go. As they were walking, Alarak asked a few questions.

"What about that memory? Is there any problems there?" Asked Alarak. Meredy simply shook her head.

"Not anymore. I fixed what problems were there. As soon as I did, what really happen back then played out. There's no need to go back." Said Meredy. Alarak noticed, however, her voice sounded hurt.

"Is something the matter, Terran?" Asked Alarak, walking right up to Meredy. She tensed up a bit before complying.

"It's just that…I saw Ultear kill some of my friends and neighbors back there." Confessed Meredy, tears glistening in her eyes. "I knew that it was possible that she killed people I was close to, but I never wanted to believe it." The tears were now leaking from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. Alarak stayed silent as she cried.

"What do you intend to do with her, after all this?" Asked Alarak, letting the wizard cry. Meredy wiped her tears away before answering.

"Nothing. I put the past behind me, and I forgave Ultear for what she did." Said Meredy, causing Alarak to scoff.

"You are far too forgiving to that woman, even if she raised you all this time. You should at least have her earn your forgiveness, not just forgive her right then and there. If I was in your position, I would have hurt her for lying and deceiving me." Said Alarak, causing Meredy to glare at him.

"Well, it's a good thing that I was there, and not you!" Yelled Meredy. "Ultear doesn't deserve that. She endured so much that she doesn't deserve to have her adopted daughter to hate her and hurt her." Meredy was about to say more, but stopped herself. "Forget it. You wouldn't understand anything about family." She then turned around and was about to walk away, when Alarak suddenly grabbed her neck and pulled her toward him. He glared at her with deadly intent. Meredy stared at him defiantly but was secretly afraid that she tipped the high lord off. He then spoke slowly and menacingly.

"Listen to me. If you dare, assume that I know nothing about family. I will kill you personally, and make it so undeniably painful, that you will beg me to stop." Threatened Alarak. Meredy was about to respond when Alarak suddenly jumped, narrowly dodging a blast of energy coming right at them. The blast hit the ground where the previously stood, creating a large hole as a result. The two then looked to see a large spider-like monster coming at them. It was grey in color, multiple beady eyes on its head, all staring at them hungrily, red veins were all over the body, and finally, its legs ended in sharp points. It bared it fangs at them, revealing the razor sharp teeth inside it's mouth, before firing a bolt of psionic energy at them. Alarak then threw Meredy away from both him and the psionic bolt before jumping at of the way, and charging at the spider, bane blades out and ready to kill. He slashed at one of the legs, making the spider shriek in pain as it's leg fell off. It tried to defend itself with it's remaining legs but Alarak was too quick, and, in a matter of moments, the beast was laying on the ground, dead. Alarak admired his handiwork and looked at Meredy, who looked annoyed at Alarak for throwing her.

"Is this the beast that is troubling you?" Asked Alarak, suspecting that it was not the case. His suspicions were confirmed when Meredy shook her head.

"No, that's not it. It was just a guardian of sorts. We need to keep moving." With that, the two proceeded to where the disturbance was. After fighting off some more spiders, and some walking, the two found what they were looking for. It was a large shard, made entirely out of void energy. Alarak knew what this was. Amon used shards like this one to feed his host body as well as using them as weapons of war against the denizens of the Koprulu sector.

"What is this?" Asked Meredy, wondering what this shard was.

"It is a void shard. The hybrid must have implanted this in your mind during your skirmish with him. I suspect this is what is preventing you from awakening. I even suspect it's killing you as well." Said Alarak before igniting his bane blades. "If we want to save you, we must destroy it." With that, he began to gather his psionic energies into one powerful attack. "I need you to defend me while I draw power. The shard will sense the danger and summon void denizens it assists it." True to his word, portals began to appear and out came void entities that took the form of Terran marines and Zerglings. Meredy then prepared to fight as they charged or opened fired at them, forcing Meredy to take cover behind Alarak, who, fortunately, still had his shields protecting him. Meredy then returned fire by unleashing several magic blades at her attackers. The void denizens vanished into thin air when the blades hit them. But this did not matter as the portals spewed out more entities to fight. They kept coming and coming, exhausting Meredy as she fired another wave of blades at the void entities. Eventually, a Zergling got through and chomped down on Meredy's leg, making her scream in pain. Soon, more came and swarmed her, ripping her flesh and clothes apart. All seemed lost when Alarak, having fully charged his psionic powers, unleash it all in a single beam of psionic energy, inadvertently destroying the void entities. The attack destroyed the void shard, causing it to collapse and be thrust back into the void. Alarak chuckled to himself as he watched this happen. He then heard Meredy groan and looked to see that the void entities did a number on her. He marched to her and saw the damage. Her face was clawed at and one of her eyes was now useless. She had multiple lacerations that went deep all over her body. And her clothes were nearly gone. Despite this, she smiled.

"I take it that everything is good now, right?" Asked Alarak. Seeing her nod in confirmation, Alarak then began to heal her. Ignoring the screams of pain coming from her. Soon, he was finished and Meredy got up. She then glared at him.

"Couldn't you make that less painful? I felt like I was going to die!" Complained Meredy, causing Alarak to chuckle.

"I could." Admitted Alarak. "But then I wouldn't get a good laugh." Meredy than scowled at him.

"Well, either way, we're finished here. You can leave now." Said Meredy.

"But I just got used to being here and seeing your memories. Would you like me to share one?" Asked Alarak. "It's the one on what you did when your glands got big."

"Get out!" Yelled Meredy, her face beat red. He chuckled before leaving in a burst of energy, leaving Meredy to herself. _"He better not tell anyone."_ Thought Meredy.

* * *

 **Real world**

 **Daelaam hospital**

* * *

Once Alarak stirred from his meditative state, he was immediately attacked by Ultear, who arrived with Jellal when they were informed about Meredy's condition. She glared at him with so much hate, that it impressed Alarak.

"You son of a bitch!" Yelled Ultear, her face twisted in anger and hate. "If Meredy doesn't recover from this, I swear that I will kill you!" Alarak chuckled at this, making Ultear even more angry.

"You Terrans have a very strange way of saying thank you." Said Alarak, causing everyone to look at him in annoyance or anger. "Don't worry about the girl. She should get up soon."

And just like that, Meredy began to stir from her slumber. She lazily opened her eyes and groaned, causing Ultear to rush over to her, tears in her eyes.

"Meredy!" Yelled Ultear as she embraced her adoptive daughter, who returned the embrace eagerly. "I'm sorry for letting this happen. If I'd been there you wouldn't be…" Whatever she was going to say, she couldn't as she was now choking on her words as tears fell in droves on her face. Meredy simply smiled as she comforted her adoptive mother.

"It's okay, Ultear. It's my fault for letting it happen." Said Meredy as she embraced her mother. Alarak looked at this with an impassive face before leaving. Artanis and Jellal, noticing this, walked up to the high lord, stopping him in his tracks.

"Wait. I have something to say to you." Said Jellal. Alarak scoffed before turning to the wizard. The two had a stare down for a few moments before Jellal spoke again. "Thank you for what you did for Meredy. I speak for Ultear as well. We're thankful for what you did for her, even though you probably only did it for yourself." Alarak just scoffed before leaving, Artanis in tow.

"Why did you do it, Alarak? It's not like you to do such a thing." Said Artanis as the two walked down a hallway.

"I owed the girl a debt for saving me. That is the only reason I did so. Nothing else." Said Alarak. "Now, don't speak of this again."

"Very well. But, first, I must know about the hybrid you faced. What was it like?" Asked Artanis, wanting to know about this enemy.

"It was not like any hybrid I faced before, Artanis. It was more powerful and intelligent than all the other hybrid. I believe that someone is enhancing the hybrid." Said Alarak.

"I believe you are right. While, you were helping Meredy, I sent my forces to scout out for any hybrid sightings and anything worth of interest. And they did. They found a hidden Terran laboratory out somewhere far away from any town or city that recognizes the kingdom's authority. I'm planning to investigate, will you come along?" Asked Artanis. The answer he got surprised him.

"No. I will stay and see that the young mage recovers. Her mother can hate me all she can, but I will stay and help her recover as best I can." Said Alarak. Artanis blinked at this, not believing what he was hearing. Alarak saw this and glared at the hierarch. "Don't assume this is because I care for the wizard, Artanis. I merely want to know if my work to help her recover was not in vain. Besides, I had enough fun for today. You go and find whatever there is at that laboratory." With that Alarak left for the room where Meredy was. Artanis looked at Alarak's retreating form before leaving the building to one of the hanger bays, where a Warp Prism was waiting to take him to the laboratory. As he was walking, he wondered about Meredy and what she did to cause such a change in Alarak. He shook off those thoughts as he was loaded into the Warp Prism and it took off.

Meanwhile Alarak had just got out of a shouting match with Ultear. She was screaming at him for letting this happen and all. She even had the gall to attack him when he insulted her, forcing Jellal, the doctors, and the Fairy Tail wizards to force her to leave. They were going to do the same to Alarak when Meredy told them he can stay. Ultear protested but Meredy told her that she'll be alright and that she needed to talk with him alone. Once they were alone, Meredy spoke to Alarak.

"I never really thanked you for saving me." Said Meredy. "Thanks." Alarak just scoffed at this.

"I don't need your praise. Just don't let it happen again." Said Alarak. Meredy's eye twitched at this but she stayed calm.

"Sure. But, I want to know. Why did you go so far? You fixed my memories, and healed me when you didn't need to. Why?" Asked Meredy. Alarak looked at her with an inexpressive face before replying.

"Because we are very much alike. We both had mothers that committed terrible things on us, had terrible childhoods, and were raised in cult like orders. Only, I embraced it and you didn't lose your innocence." Said Alarak. "That, and your bearable. Unlike some other Terrans here."

"Really?" Asked Meredy.

"Yes. You don't strip, you're not obsessive with anything, not anymore at least, you're not vain, and you're not loud or obnoxious." Explained Alarak. "If I had to have a Terran companion, you would be one of my choices." Meredy widened her eyes at that, blushing at the implications on what he said.

"You mean…" Said Meredy. "You and me." Alarak rose an eyebrow at this. He then got what she thought and chuckled.

"You and me?" Alarak laughed at this. "I never thought you wanted to be with me, Terran. Did you enjoy me being in your head and want me to be in other place of your body." This caused Meredy to blush hard.

"NO! Y-you perv!" Shrieked Meredy. "Why would I want to be with you!? You're not boyfriend or husband material!" Alarak just chuckled at that.

"You say that, but I read your mind and saw you imagine us doing…that." Said Alarak, horrifying Meredy.

"NO, I DID NOT IMAGINE THAT! Get your mind out of the gutter!" Yelled Meredy. "ARGH! You're an insufferable jerk!"

"And you're a pink-haired bimbo with large glands and legs. I would imagine you having suitors all over the place, wanting to a piece of you, that you want something more…evil. I have heard that Terran females like bad boys." Said Alarak, amused with this conversation.

"Well, I'm not!" Yelled Meredy. And, the two began to throw insults and jabs at each other for sometime. While this was going on, Lucy, Carla, and Wendy were overhearing the two bicker like an old married couple.

"Yesh. With how they're going, you would think they're married." Said Lucy before blushing at the thought of Alarak and Meredy marrying.

"That's…kind of sweet." Said Wendy hesitantly, wondering how Ultear will handle this.

"And Alarak better take care of her…for all our sakes." Said Carla, thinking Ultear would attack Alarak for anything, causing a war that probably will end in everyone dead.

"Hey, I just noticed Artanis is gone. Where is he?" Said Lucy, wondering where the hierarch is. Meanwhile in a hidden facility, there was a group of armored men running from something. They fired bolts of energy from their weapons at something that was chasing them. They heard some roaring as the bolts hit whatever was chasing them, yet they still heard it coming right at them. They were beginning to lose hope when they saw a door right in front of them. Filled with restored hope, the men raced to the door, opened it and closed it shut behind them. They took a step back as they heard the monster that was chasing them growl. They then gave off a sigh of relief when they heard it's footsteps getting fainter.

"I thought that thing was going to kill us." Said one of the men, collapsing on the floor.

"Same here." Said another.

"What do we do? Without our mistress, we're at a disadvantage."

"Where is she anyway?"

"Probably dead or turned into one of those things we saw a while back."

"How dare you suggest such a thing! You know how powerful our mistress is!"

"And yet, she managed to get defeated by one of those things! Not to mention that things took out most of us with one strike!"

"Guys?"

"If anything, she's getting devoured as we speak."

"Guys?"

"Then she will reform back in the guild and come back with reinforcements!"

"Guys?"

"As if they'll come back for a bunch of grunts like us. Face it, we're dead!"

"GUYS!"

"What!" Yelled all the men at one of their own, who was shaking in his boots as he pointed to something in the dark edges of the room. They all looked to where the man was pointing it, and, to their horror, one of the creatures was here with them. It growled before charging at the men. Nobody heard the screams of the men as the beast tore them apart.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

* * *

 **Acacia town**

 **Somewhere in a desert**

* * *

Out somewhere in one of the deserts of the land of Fiore, there was the desert town of Acacia. A rather obscure town that earned it's living selling minerals and exotic food that only grew in the desert. It was a hard life living there, but the locals were proud of it as it was a sign of their will to live. One reasons for the hard life there was that they didn't recognize the authority of the kingdom of Fiore. As a result, they don't receive any form of assistance from the kingdom, a consequence for their independence.

In one of the taverns of the town, people were drinking, playing games, or hitting some of the barmaids and waitresses. The patrons were having a good time, when the doors were suddenly opened. Everyone turned and, to their shock, they saw a strange creatures coming toward them. They immediately linked it to the descriptions given by some of the traders that come here for the minerals. They brushed it off thought, thinking that it was just a fairy tale made up by traders to get attention, but now there was living proof that the Protoss do exist, and it was coming toward the bar. The Protoss looked at the bartender, an old man that looked nervous at having such an enormous creature eyeing him up.

"If you would be, so kind, can I have your assistance?" Asked Artanis as he looked at the bartender. Everyone was shocked to hear the Protoss speak. They also brushed off the information's that the Protoss can talk without a mouth. Now, with that being confirmed, they were worried what else was true. Like, they can read minds or can hypnotize people.

"Er…what do you need, sir?" Asked the bartender as he began to nervously clean a glass.

"I'm here for information regarding the mines of this town." Said Artanis. The bartender blinked before looking at the alien in confusion.

"Why?" Asked the Bartender, curious on what the alien wanted in the mines.

"I spoke to your sheriff about anything suspicious happening here, and she said that there were recently some abductions of young men and woman. Ones that came to this establishment. I wish to know why." Said Artanis as he glared at the bartender, who was shaking.

"I honestly don't know anything." Said the bartender nervously. "They paid for their drinks, talked with some of the patrons here, and just leave after their done. That's all I know." Said the bartender. Artanis sighed, having read the mind of the bartender to confirm he was telling the truth. He was.

"Then did any of them talk with the same person?" Asked Artanis.

"Not, really. They all spoke with different people." Said the bartender, calm now, thinking that he was safe. "The only thing that connects the missing people is this establishment and that's it. Now, what is it with you and the mines?"

"I have a suspicion that they were taken to one of the abandon mines. The sheriff thinks so as well, but he can't spare anyone to investigate. You've been here longer than others, back when the oldest mines were still operational, do you have any information about them." Said Artanis. The bartender placed a hand on his chin, recalling the abandoned mines.

"I doubt I can tell you much that the sheriff hasn't already, but I'll try. Back when those old mines were still full of minerals, there were tons of accidents as back then we didn't have as good mining equipment as we do now. Plus, there were numerous accidents happening due to poor safety conditions and what nots. So much so, that when the new mayor got elected, she shut down the more dangerous mines and set up more safety parameters for them." Explained the bartender.

"Then, can one use one of the abandoned mines as a hideout?" Asked Artanis.

"Sure, if one doesn't mind falling to their death and so on, but only one is viable for a hideout. I can tell you which one right now, if you want." Said the bartender.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I'm sure those people will get the justice they deserve." Said Artanis. The bartender then told Artanis the location of the mine. As he was about to leave, the bartender called out.

"You know, you're not as dangerous or evil as some of those traders make you out to be. You seemed to be a decent fellow." Said the bartender. Artanis looked at the bartender before leaving. As Artanis was walking, he noticed that people were staring at him, pointing fingers at him and whispering things about him to others. He then began to read their minds. Most of their thoughts were not pleasant. He sighed internally as he heard a person saying they should kill him now before he could bring an army to take their way of life away from them. He had a feeling that this view was shared by many others. Not just in this town, but also in all of Fiore. It was something that he was used to by the Terrans of the Terran Dominion. Though they had better relations than before, they both were still at odds with each other. Especially, when Alarak attacked a few Terran colonies as well as Korhal over the decades. Valerian Mengsk, whose life-span was extended for a few more decades due to advances in medical technology, tried to establish better relations with the Daelaam, but was stopped by idiocy and xenophobia among those in powers as well as those in the civilian population. It was still an ongoing fight, that was seeing the rays of hope, when Artanis was thrown into this world. It seemed that the universe didn't want peace to happen between the Koprulu Terrans and the Protoss. Well, if that was the case, then Artanis will not allow that to happen with these Terrans. He will make friends with them, even if he had to do it one step at a time. But for now, he had a job to do.

When he arrived at the location where his scouts reported the Terran facility was, he wasn't surprised that was underground. What did surprise him, was that there was a small mining town near it as he had no knowledge of it. This caused him to be concerned that the towns folk were in league with those that serve Amon. However, those worries were quelled, when he read the minds of several inhabitants, including the sheriff. They never heard about Amon or worked with anyone affiliated with the Xel'naga. With that out of the way, the hierarch proceeded into town to speak with the sheriff and mayor to have access to the mines as they were the only way to enter the facility without drawing too much attention. It was a hard-fought battle, but the two relented when they made a deal with Artanis. They allowed him access to the mines if he helped them with a little problem they had. Several young men and women have been abducted over the past few nights, all without a trace. As they didn't have the money to hire a wizard or have the equipment solve it themselves, they figured they could get the alien to help them. Artanis agreed if only he could have access to the mines while he did this job for them, as he had a suspicion that Amon's forces were behind this.

Before he could go into the mines, however, he was stopped by the sheriff. He turned toward the sheriff, who was walking towards him. Her choice of attire was a bit questionable to him. She wore a purplish corset dress that exposed the top half of her chest. She wore boots, fingerless gloves, had several straps on her legs, armbands on her arms, and finally, she wore a top hat to shield herself from the cruel desert heat. As she was walking to him, he noticed that she didn't have her rifle with her. The sheriff stopped just in front of him, putting her hands on her hips.

"You got information." Said the sheriff.

"Yes, miss Caitlyn." Said Artanis. "I have a lead that your kidnapped people are hidden in one of the abandon mines here. If you would be so kindly to allow be to enter the mines, as part of our agreement, I can find out what happened to them." The sheriff sighed before nodding her head.

"Alright, but you better not be tricking me." Said Caitlyn.

"I prefer not to do such a thing. Especially to you, since you've supported me with the mayor." Said Artanis, remembering how she stood up to him when the sheriff told him to get out. Though it was more likely that she wanted his help, he was still grateful. Caitlyn nodded before letting Artanis go. As he was walking, Caitlyn called out.

"Just be careful in those mines! A lot of good people died in there!" Yelled out Caitlyn before walking back to her office. Artanis acknowledged it with a grunt before proceeding to the abandoned mine that the bartender told him about. He saw the entrance and entered. Once it was dark he activated his psi-blades, illuminating the mine with the glow of his blades. As he was walking deeper and deeper in the mines, he noticed just how dangerous it was. There were little to-no fences to keep miners from falling, poor living conditions, and even poorer food. He wondered what the people in charge of this mine were thinking when they set it up before chalking it up to them cutting funds so they can have more money. He scowled at the greed of some Terrans, choosing money over people. He wiped his thoughts off of greedy Terrans when he saw a Terran Gauss rifle. A weapon that should not be here.

" _ **Well, that certainly means I'm on the right track."**_ Thought Artanis as he picked up the weapon, examining it. The weapon looked like it was recently fired, and the spent cases around him supported this. He looked around for a body or at least blood, but to his surprise, he found none. Dropping the rifle, he continued on deeper into the mines. He had a few close call here and there, but he trudged on, wanting to find the Terran facility here. As he was walking, he noticed there were more and more rifles and spent casings on the ground, as if a large fire-fight happened. After passing the sixth rifle, he was wondering where the bodies were. There were no blood trails, not bodies, and more importantly, not signs of battle aside from the spent casings and rifles. _**"Something isn't right."**_ Thought Artanis as he made it the deepest part of the mine. To his shock, there was nothing but old mining equipment. He then began to observe the area, searching for a hidden door or entrance. After sometime of searching, he gave up and sat on a rock, wondering on what to do next. Could his scouts have been wrong? Could he have just went to the wrong mine, or was there something missing? His thoughts were then interrupted when he heard a faint roar. A roar of a hybrid. Getting up, he ignited his psi-blade and looked around for the hybrid, wondering where it came from. As he kept hearing faint roars, he began to walk to where the roar was loudest. Eventually, he found the roaring to be emitting from a large stone slab. Summoning his psionics, Artanis then blew the slab apart, destroying the hidden door behind it in the process. He then proceeded into the Terran facility, looking around for hybrids.

" _ **Where is everybody? There should be alarms going off and guards coming here?"**_ Thought Artanis as he walked in the facility. He got his answer when he spotted a group of Terran marines, bullet holes all over their bodies, as if they shot at each other. Staring at the bodies for a moment, Artanis pressed on, wanting to find out what happened here. He soon passed over several other bodies of Terran marines and even a wreckage of a Terran goliath. All with the same cause of death. _**"Did they all go mad and killed each other? Or did something force them to do so?"**_ Thought Artanis as he passed over the carcasses of two marines, bloody knives in their hands. Several minutes of walking, and Artanis began to wonder to feel as if he had walked into a trap. He was passing through a door when it suddenly burst opened, a body falling on him. Surprised, Artanis tossed the body and proceeded to slash at it, taking off the head. After recovering, Artanis leaned down and examine the body and the head.

" _ **He's not part from here."**_ Thought Artanis as he examined the man's attire. He wore metal armor, but it wasn't made out of Neosteel, rather it was made out of iron. He also wore some jacket underneath. His helmet had an opened mouth design and had two red eye sockets. It was a rather interesting design. He was so busy studying the armor, that he almost didn't notice the guild mark on the armor until he spotted it while examining the armor. He immediately tensed when he noticed which guild mark it was. It was the mark for the dark guild Tartaros, the last active member of the Balam alliance. He had heard of this dark guild and it's reputation from king Fiore and Hisui, and if they were true, then he will have to be on alert. They are not a guild to be trifled with. He instantly let go of the body and proceeded into the room. Once he was in, he noticed that there were more Tartaros members here as well, all in various states of dismemberment. He also noticed the giant hole in one of the room's walls. Something must have been with them, killed them, and left, leaving a hole as proof of it's kill. He then noticed a Terran terminal in the room. He walked over to it, quickly accessed it, hoping that it wasn't locked. To his frustration, it was locked and required the access codes of the head scientist here.

" _ **Can't I have one mission that goes smoothly for once?"**_ Thought Artanis as he left the room, beginning his possibly long search in finding the head scientist. This is, if he was even here or alive. He was about to begin his search he heard a loud crash. On guard now, Artanis began to look around, ready to slice at anything that came to attack him. After a few tense moments, he lowered his guard and proceeded into a corridor that will take him deeper into the facility. Unfortunately, it was then that the wall next to him decided to explode right in front of him. He shielded his eyes from the sudden flash. When he opened his eyes, he saw a woman in front of him, badly injured. She had rather large glands, a seemingly common thing in this planet. She wore a very revealing beige-colored leopard-printed kimono, something he learned was a type of dress, with arm covers that ended just below her shoulders, revealing the decorative marks on them. The kimono is wrapped around her torso with a thick, decorative yellow ribbon that ties behind her back, and her outfit is complemented by thigh-high socks that reveal her heels and toes. She also wore a white band which separates her hair, framing her bangs from her hair below the band. Below that, upon her forehead is a small circular symbol with a small dot on the inside and surrounded by several dots around the top. Finally, a small white-colored strap was tied around her neck. All in all, the woman was very beautiful in Terran standards. Artanis would have helped her, were it not for the large horns protruding from the sides of her head and the fact he could see the Tartaros guild mark on her stomach due to her dress being torn up in that area. The woman looked at his direction and widened her eyes in shock. She then wobbly got up and was about to attack when suddenly a hybrid reaver came and attacked the woman.

Artanis was so shocked at this that he couldn't respond to the hybrid grabbing her and slamming her on the floor multiple times before it threw her in front of him. The woman coughed out blood and looked at Artanis again, who looked down at the woman. She looked defiant, but he could sense her emotions. She was afraid of dying…no, it was something else. A fear of failing. Artanis looked at the woman's eyes before engaging his psi-blades and charging at the hybrid, who roared at him in response. It tried to slash at him with it's sharp claws, but Artanis blinked out of the way and slashed at it with his blades. It roared in pain as Artanis proceeded to slice off one of it's arms. It then slammed the ground with one of it's foots, causing Artanis to lose his balance a bit, but he recovered swiftly and began to attack the hybrid again, taking it apart bit by bit. As this was happening, the woman watched as her savior fought with the beast that had taken apart her guild mates and severely wounded her. She looked at her leg, nearly vomiting at the sight of the mangled leg. She then heard the dying roar of the hybrid. She looked to see the hybrid going up in flames and Artanis coming to here. She kept in an impassive face as he kneeled next to her and examined her injuries. As he was working, he began to talk.

"You need medical assistance." Said Artanis as he looked at the leg. She fought off the need to roll her eyes and insult him when he spoke again. "Do it, and I'll leave you here alone." Artanis briefly chuckled at the woman's shocked expression before getting serious. "I possess the ability to heal this wound, but I must ask why should I help a dark guild wizard." The woman looked even more shocked, wondering how he knew of her affiliation, when she realized he must have saw her guild mark on her stomach. She then blushed, realizing her outfit was more revealing than before. She then looked at her attire, assessing the damage. It was open in the stomach area, a result of the hybrid slashing it's claws there, and there were slash marks all over her dress, exposing more skin than what she would normally like. She then looked at the alien before her, who was patiently waited for her to look at him. "As I said before, why should I do so?" The woman bit her lip, trying to think of an answer.

"Because someone like you wouldn't leave a woman like me in a state like this?" Said the woman, trying to appeal to the clearly male alien with her charm. To her shock, he simply scoffed.

"Don't try that on me, Terran. I'm not so easily seduced as some other males." Said Artanis, remembering the Fairy Tail mages Macao and Wakaba, scowling in disgust as he remembered reading their minds. The things he saw in their heads, left hin unable to sleep well for several days. "Before you guess again, I'll tell you. I want information on what happened here. And you're going to give it to me." Said Artanis. The woman donned an impassive face as Artanis continued.

"In exchange for information, I'll heal you of your injuries. However, I want your word that you will not attack me or do anything against me." Said Artanis. The woman bit her lip, wondering if she should take the deal. If this alien, can really read her mind then there was no point in attempting to back-stab him as he would have already read her mind about it. She winced in pain when a sudden flare of pain emerged from her wounded leg. Desperate for medical assistance, the woman reluctantly agreed. Artanis, seeing that she was calm and cooperative, placed his hands near her wounded knee. The hands then began to glow a bright blue. The woman felt herself being rejuvenated as Artanis used his psionics to heal her. Soon, he was done and he began to work on her other wounds, finishing quickly. After finishing with her wounds, Artanis motioned for the woman to get up, which she did.

"Impressive." Said the woman, examining herself, before looking at Artanis, who got up as well. "You have my gratitude." Artanis stayed silent as the woman looked at where her wounds were previously.

"I held my end of the bargain, now you do as well. Tell me why, Tartaros is here." Demanded Artanis, getting ready to fight if the woman decided to back-stab him. The woman looked at Artanis, staying silent for a few moments before answering.

"You." Said the woman before clarifying. "Ever since your people became public, Tartaros has been trying to get information about you. Numbers, strength, and technology. We've never encountered anything like you, and we don't like it." Artanis stayed silent as the woman continued. "We've sent some dark guilds under our command to gain that knowledge, only for them to all end up dead. A result of your friend Alarak."

" _ **So, that is why those dark guilds have been spotted in our perimeter."**_ Thought Artanis as he listened. "Since you know about Alarak, I assume you know about me?"

" ***Scoffs*** Everyone knows about the Protoss leader that slayed a dragon. A feat that no one thought was possible for anyone that wasn't a dragon slayer." Said the woman, remembering the day she heard Artanis take out a dragon and how shocked and how she didn't believe it at the time.

"So, people still believe I did it." Said Artanis. Ever since he killed that dragon and it going public, when Cosmos confessed that he killed a dragon, something backed up by Kagura and Erza, the press have been trying to get an interview with him, constantly getting in his personal space and annoying him with their persistence. Eventually, it died down after Artanis asked king Fiore to make the press stop. He also asked Cosmos to help out, which she did by telling the press that it was just a silly rumor she made up. As a result, the people have played off his actual feat by saying that it was a fluke or that it never happened. That a dragon slayer did it. "And you believe it?"

"At first no." Confessed the woman. "But I'm not one to underestimate an unknown variable. As for your question, we detected something unusually happening here. So, our guild master sent me along with a sizable part of our guild to investigate. We found this facility and entered, hoping to find out something about you. But, what we saw surprised us. The guards were all dead."

"Wait. So, the dead guards were not you're doing?" Asked Artanis. He read her mind just to be sure. Once confirming she was telling the truth, he began to wonder what happened.

"Yes, they all looked like they killed each other. Something that confused us, but we shook it off. Humans have always been stupid and unreasonable." Said the woman. Artanis stared at the woman upon hearing this before mentioning her to continue. "After finding about the dead guards, we scoured the facility for anything of worth." She then donned a frown. "To my dismay, nothing of value was found. All we found was a bunch of glowing boxes and dead guards. We were about of leave when an alarm suddenly sounded. Soon, that beast came and killed off most of my men." Said the woman, finishing her story. After confirming she was telling the truth by peering into her mind, Artanis questioned her further.

"That creature is a hybrid. An abomination that was created through merging by people's DNA with that of a hive mind race called the Zerg." Said Artanis as he looked around. "This facility appears to be a storage facility of some kind or perhaps a laboratory for creating more hybrid. How they managed to build this facility without the town of Acacia knowing is beyond me." Artanis then looked at the woman before him. "Is there anything in this facility that you found that could help me?"

" ***Scoffs*** I told you. We found nothing of interest here. All we found was useless junk. I even went to the head scientist's room and only found this." Said the woman, holding a data disk. Artanis's eyes widened as he saw it.

"Can I ask of you to give me that disk?" Asked Artanis. The woman rose an eyebrow at this before replying.

"Why?" Asked the woman, suspicious.

"That disk you are holding may hold the access codes I need to get into the facilities mainframe." Explained Artanis. "Now, please, give me the disk." The woman stared at him for a moment before slowly tightening her hold on the disk, risking it's destruction. "What are you doing?!" The woman simply gave him a devious smile.

"Like I said, I don't have the knowledge I came for in this facility. If I go back to my guild, they'll kill me for my failures. So, I propose a deal. I give you this disk in exchange for whatever information this facility has on your kind. And if there isn't, you have to tell me what I want to know." Said the woman. Artanis glared at the woman, knowing he had no choice, but to accept as what she was holding could hold the very key that he needed to figure out what this facility was, and what was it's purpose.

" ***sighs*** Very well. Follow me." Said Artanis before trudging back into the room where the terminal was, the woman following close behind. As they entered the room, the woman looked at her guildmates with an impassive look before walking up to Artanis who was at the terminal. "Insert that disk into that slot." Said Artanis, pointing to a slot that was the same size as the disk. The woman did as she was instructed. Once the disk was in place, the terminal played a pleasant song.

"Welcome, doctor Davis." Said the terminal before showing several options in the screen. The options were logging out, logs entries, and experiments. Seeing the options, Artanis, using his little knowledge on Terran technology, pressed the log entries. The two then saw countless log entries that date back, to their shock, ten years ago.

" _ **Amon's forces were already here?"**_ Thought Artanis. _**"How many are there here? How many are in seats of power? And how many citizens of Fiore are servants of Amon?"**_ He shrugged off his thoughts and began to click on the various logs, reading them or skipping them once he deemed them to be unimportant. Most of them were just maintenance reports or minor accidents or disturbances. As he was getting close to the most recent log, he was beginning to suspect that this terminal had no information on the missing people of Acacia or the information he was looking for. He was about to give up hope when the last two caught his eyes. One was a list of names from Acacia, the ones that went missing. He also saw the status dead next to them all. Sighing, he made a mental note to tell the mayor of Acacia on what happened. The other log was an audio log, unlike the others, he played it and a recording began to play.

"This is doctor Davis. The experiment was a success! By combining, what the local human population calls Ethernano with psionics, we managed to make a device that not only is capable of mind controlling multiple beings that can utilize Ethernano as a weapon, it can also do so without any way to detect the mind-control. We practiced this with several of the locals in the area, and after using several pieces of equipment designed specifically for the task of finding out if one is mind-controlled, we can safely say that we developed a way to control the wizard population. And if worst comes to worst, the device can also act like Psi destroyer, killing anything that has Ethernano in their blood. We discovered this after an incident with the device where it killed of some of our test subjects. The poor lad just exploded in a rather gory way. His blood is still everywhere in test lab four. Oh well, that's the signs of progress. We used this on several other subjects and we can also safely say that the device is also a weapon that can put a strangle hold on the population of this world. Tomorrow, we'll test it on one of our own that has absorbed some Ethernano. See if it can work on someone that had been born in an environment that had no Ethernano. This is doctor Davis signing out." Once the recording ended, both the woman and Artanis were shocked at this development. The Terran had developed a means to use Ethernano against the wizards of Earthland, not to mention they have a way of mind-controlling people without risk of detection. Artanis then quickly accessed the experiments option. He then saw several videos. He clicked on the first, dreading what will happen. The two then saw a young man in a glass box with a glowing ball that was spinning around while several scientists were outside the box, watching.

"This is doctor Davis. We're about to perform the mind-control function of our device on a subject. Subject is John Callow. Age: 23. Gender: Male. Orphaned. Has a sister named Katie Callow. Let's begin." Said the scientist known as Davis before ordering his fellow scientist to start. One pressed a button and the ball began to spin more violently. John, seeing this, screamed and begged to leave when the ball launched a lance of energy at him. John screamed as the beam hit him. The device soon stopped and John was on the floor, seemingly lifeless. "John. Will you please stand?" Said Davis, and like a robot, John stood up. "Good. Now." The containment door in front of the box opened and a Terran marine came inside and gave John a small gun. "Kill yourself." Without hesitation, John pointed the gun at his head and shot himself. "Excellent." Said Davis as he saw this happen. The recording then ended. Shocked and angry at this, Artanis began to play the 2nd video, wondering what other horrors he will have to witness.

"This is doctor Davis. We're about to find perform the accidental finding we discovered when the device is set to a frequency lethal to those with Ethernano. Subject is Alice Carmine. Gender: Female. Age: 22. Four brothers, two deceased. Let's begin." Said Davis before looking at the young woman in the box that was similar to the one John was in. Same layout and everything. And, of course, the device was inside as well. The scientists then began to activate the device. Almost immediately, the woman screamed before exploding into chunks of meat, blood splattering all over the box. "As you can see, the device has ignited the Ethernano within the subject, causing an internal combustion in the subject. We plan to do another experiment to see if the same result will happen to one of our own men." With that the recording ended, leaving Artanis and even the woman horrified at what they saw. With dread, Artanis played the third and final recording.

"This is doctor Davis, and I'm recording this to document the effect the device has on our soldiers." Said the doctor before showing the device activated on a Terran male, having no effect. "As you can see, the device has no effect on our soldiers. We're currently figuring out why this is so, but we believe it is because we were born in an Ethernano free environment or there isn't enough Ethernano in our bodies for such a reaction. In either case, I fully recommend preparing the device for both infiltration missions and weaponizing against the populace. It will serve as a deterrent against the populace. And if they persist, the device will no doubt kill them all." With that the recording ended. Artanis then powered down the terminal, feeling dread on what he had witnessed.

"If that device is operational, then the people of Fiore have no chance." Thought Artanis in dread. He then looked at the woman, who was still shocked at what she saw. "Let's go. There is nothing here." The woman shook off her stupor upon hearing Artanis before glaring at him.

"I refuse to leave until I get what I wanted." Said the woman, not intending to fail her guild.

"There's nothing here for my people. Besides, isn't the knowledge of this weapon sufficient for you?" Asked Artanis in disbelief.

"That's not the information I seek." Said the woman, stubbornly. "I need information about your people. And as our agreement, you will tell me about your people." Artanis glared at the woman before relenting.

"Very well." Said Artanis. "I'll tell you once we're out of here." The woman glared at him before motioning him to leave. The two were about to leave when the door suddenly closed shut, catching them off guard. They then heard the speakers in the room turn on.

"What's this!?" Said a voice, male. "Rats in my place of business?! ***giggles madly*** That's alright! I just love to experiment with people! Plus, I never experimented with a demon or Protoss before!" With that gas began to enter the room via several ceiling vents on the roof, quickly entering the room in a rapid pace. Acting immediately, Artanis turned his head-gear into a helmet. He sighed in relief as the gas didn't enter his helmet, nor penetrate it. The woman was not so lucky. At first, she was acting normally when the gas was upon her, but then her eyes widened and she started to panic and hyperventilate. She then screamed and began to thrash around. Surprised at this, Artanis tackled her and held her down, so that she wouldn't do anything rash. She eventually lost consciousness. Though she whimpered every now and then, the woman was completely still.

"Ooooh! So, it works differently with demons! That's cool! The guards just went insane and killed each other! That was awesome to watch! As much as it is fun to see the lady scream and kick…no fair! I wanted to see what it would do against Protoss! Oh well! I'll just send my pets there and kill you!" Said the man before turning off the speakers. Artanis soon heard the roaring of hybrid reavers, coming from the hole in the room. At least three. Knowing he was outmatched, he grabbed the woman, bridal style, before firing a psionic bolt at the door, obliterating it. He then bolted for the exit of this facility and back to the surface. Soon, he heard the roaring of hybrid coming after him. With determination to live, Artanis poured a lot of his psionic powers into increasing his speed, enabling him to out run the hybrid. He twisted and turn every corner, hoping that there weren't more hybrid waiting for him so they can tear him and the woman apart. As he was running, he heard the woman whimpering and even crying in her sleep. He also heard her mumbling someone's name and asking for forgiveness before she began to thrash again. This caused him to stumble a bit. Fortunately, he recovered and began to run again. Not wanting for that to happen again, he held the woman tightly as if to comfort her. It seemed to work as the woman began to relax. Soon, the two were nearing the entrance. As he was running, Artanis risked taking a glance at the hybrid. To his shock, there were only two. Dread began to course through his vein when he heard roaring ahead of him as the third hybrid slammed his arms at Artanis, causing him to crash into a wall with the woman in tow. Artanis groaned as he looked at the approaching hybrid.

"Well, you gave a good chase! But this is the end! Kill him my pets, but leave the demon for me!" Yelled the man over the speaker. The hybrid then began to charge at Artanis, who ignited his psi-blades, not wanting to go down without a fight.

As luck would have it, he didn't need to as the hybrid were peppered with laser fire. They were then attacked with large blast of antimatter. Soon the hybrid blew up into dust, a signal that they were dead. Shocked at this, Artanis looked to see a group of Stalkers and immortals approaching him along with a squad of zealots. Relief coursed through him as sat against the wall he was thrown to. The zealots approached the hierarch and helped him up.

"Hierarch! Are you alright!?" Asked one of the zealots.

"I will be alright." Said Artanis. He then looked at the unconscious woman that was with him when he ran from the hybrid. He wondered what he should do with her. He could submit her to the proper authorities and have them deal with her. Or he could take her with him and tend to whatever she was inflicted with. Another case of whimpering and a tear falling from her face, solidified his decision. "Bring her with us. She needs assistance." The zealots nodded before grabbing the woman and carried her out. Artanis then ordered another zealot to take a task group to investigate this facility. The zealot was about to agree to the order when they heard the man that has been trying to kill him.

"NO! THIS IS NOT HOW IT WAS SUPPOSE TO GO!" Yelled the man over the speaker.

"It's over! Turn yourself in and we'll grant you mercy!" Yelled Artanis. The man then began to laugh.

"MERCY!? MERCY!? No thanks, but I rather die than surrender!?" Yelled the man. "Adjutant! Initiate self-destruct protocal!"

"Affirmative, doctor Reed. Self-destruct commencing in five minute." Said a computerized female voice before alarms began to go off.

"Get out!" Yelled Artanis as he and his men began to run back to the surface. Dread began to come back to Artanis as each second passed. The group put all their psionic energy into their leg cybernetics, giving them great bursts of speeds. The stalkers blinked themselves to level after level, giving them a good distance out of the mine. The immortals, however, being so slow, were the last group that were trying to escape the explosion. Though they ensured the hierarch that they will be fine with dying, Artanis couldn't help but have a ping of guilt for being ahead of them. Eventually, all three groups arrived out of the mine and into the surface. Soon, an explosion shook the ground under them, making some zealots fall to the ground. Sighing in relief at seeing everyone made it out, Artanis looked at the woman from Tartaros, somehow still unconscious. He saw that she had, once again, a look of pain on her face. Upon seeing it, Artanis felt a ping of sympathy. He remembered her saying that her guildmates would kill her if she didn't get anything of value about the Protoss. He also remembered sensing pain, and fear from her when she confessed to this. He would have to help her without compromising his people's security, but first, he had a job to do in Acacia.

* * *

 **Acacia**

 **Sheriff's office**

* * *

"So, they're all dead." Said Caitlyn as she donned an impassive face while Artanis told her about her dead people. As soon as Artanis arrived in Acacia, he marched up to Caitlyn's office and told her everything. "And they were used like lab rats." Said Caitlyn in disgust. She then sighed as she looked at Artanis. "Thank you, for doing this. Even though it was bad news, I'm sure the families will be at peace knowing what happened to their children." She then brought out a small bag of jewels. "It's not much, but take it. It's all we can offer." To her surprise, Artanis held out his hand.

"I don't want it, miss Caitlyn. You should use that money to pay for the funerals of your dead. If you need it, I can ask the royal family to pay for some of the costs." Offered Artanis. Caitlyn simply smirked before taking the bag back.

"Thanks for the offer, but we prefer to do it ourselves. Plus, the money in this bag will be sufficient in getting those people a funeral if we're careful." Said Caitlyn. She then smiled at Artanis. "It's been a pleasure working with you, Artanis. Hope to see you again. And if you want to, you're welcome back here. I'll make sure of that. I would also offer you a drink, but you don't have a mouth." She then held out her hand. Artanis shook it with respect. He then departed from the office and began to march to the room in the motel he was given for the woman from Tartaros. It took a while, due to her horns, but after some persuasion and support from Caitlyn, he got the room. As he was walking into the building, he heard screaming coming from the room he rented. Worried, he raced to the building, went up a few stairs, and opened the room door with haste. What he saw worried him.

The woman was whimpering, clutching a pillow like her life depended on it. As he approached her, he saw that there were tears stains all over the pillow and that tears were rolling down her face. He sat near her, and began to do what his mother would do whenever he did something like this. He placed his palm on her forehead and proceeded to use his psionics to calm her mind. It worked and the woman began to calm down. After a few minutes, the woman woke up slowly. She looked at Artanis and frowned.

"You're still here." Said the woman out of spite. After getting a nod, the woman sat up. "What happened?"

"A Terran scientist used some sort of gas against us. I escaped it's effects, but you got weren't as lucky. You started to freak out and scream. Almost as if you were having a panic attack." Explained Artanis. The woman then stared at Artanis.

"Will you tell me about your people now?" Said the woman, making Artanis sigh.

"Persistent." Thought Artanis before replying. "Yes, but I must ask why you're so afraid of failing."

"None of your business." Snarled the woman.

"It is if it's about my people." Said Artanis, staring at the woman, who stared back evenly. The two had a short staring contest, giving Artanis to probe her mind. He swept and searched her mind until he found what he was looking for.

* * *

 **Memory**

* * *

 _"I must say, Seilah, this is most disappointing." Said a man with dark purple hair and black eyes as he stared down from the woman Artanis met before. The woman, Seilah now, had an impassive face, but Artanis sensed that she was actually afraid. "I sent you to learn about these Protoss, and all you get me was information we already know. To top it all off, the dark guilds you sent were completely wiped out. Care to explain?"_

 _"Mard Geer, the Protoss have proven to be tenacious in keeping secrets, from even their allies. Those I interrogated had little-to-any helpful information about them. I fear that there is no way other than capturing one of them." Said Seilah._

 _"Then, why have you not done so?" Asked Mard Geer, getting annoyed with Seilah excuses._

 _"The dark guilds I sent to capture one have…unfortunately been annihilated." Said Seilah hesitantly, despite Mard Geer already knowing about that. Mard Geer then sighed and got up from his chair. He then summoned some vines with sharp pricks, which then grabbed Seilah, who struggled against the vines as their pricks dug into her skin and drew blood._

 _"Let me say this once, Seilah." Said Mard Geer as he approached Seilah, the vines getting even tighter with each word. "This recent failure, along with those from before, are causing me to doubt your abilities. What good is a demon, if she can't do such a simple task?" The pricks were now in her skins, causing great pain to her. "Now, Jackal and Ezel have recommended to me that you should be…disposed of, shall we say," This caused Seilah's eyes to widen in shock and horror. "But I decided to be merciful. We recently captured a human that provided information about a facility underneath a town called Acacia. Prove your worth by going there, and retrieve any information about the Protoss. I'll be generous and provide you an ample force to help you. Fail this, and you will die a horrible death Seilah. Is that understood?" Seilah then nodded in understanding. With that, the vines disappeared and Seilah proceeded to leave. As she was holding herself, she bumped into Kyôka. They stopped to look at each other. Kyôka had an impassive face at Seilah before donning a sympathetic one and motioned Seilah to follow her. The two entered Kyôka's quarters, where she began to treat Seilah for her wounds. As she was treating the wound, Kyôka began to speak._

 _"You have to succeed this mission, Seilah. It's the only way for you to stay alive." Said Kyôka._

 _"I know." Said Seilah, wincing as the Kyôka dapped disinfectant on her wounds. After having her wounds treated, Seilah embraced Kyôka in a hug. "Pray for my success."_

 _"I will." Said Kyôka with a smile._

* * *

 **Present**

* * *

Artanis blinked as he processed all this information. He knew that Seilah would die if she didn't have relevant information about his people, but he never expected someone wanted her to succeed. He then looked deeper into her eyes. He saw the angry in her eyes, but he also saw the desperation in them as well. She didn't care about dying, she cared about that woman. She wanted to see her again. After thinking it over, he sighed.

"Very well." Said Artanis. "I'll give you information about my people." This caused Seilah to widen her eyes in shock.

"You will?" Asked Seilah in disbelief.

"Yes. Now, want do you want to know? I promise to answer them as best I can." Said Artanis, placing a hand on his chest. Seilah frowned, hesitant on taking this opportunity, before asking her questions. The questions ranged from where they come from, and how long they live, to how many there are, and how many soldiers they had. This went on for two hours until Seilah, believing to have sufficient information, got up from the bed and looked at Artanis.

"Thank you, for your assistance. I…appreciate it." Said Seilah.

"Don't thank me, Seilah." Said Artanis, having asked her name in case she got suspicious of him knowing her name. "This information will not help you against my people, if you choose to fight." Warned Artanis.

"You underestimate my guild's abilities." Said Seilah.

"No, you're overestimating them. Your guild may be powerful, but even they can be overcome with superior technology, and numbers. Think on it." Said Artanis as he left the room. Before he did, however, he spoke with Seilah one final time. "If you ever need to talk to me again. Don't hesitant to come find me. And, leave that guild, Seilah. I doubt your guildmates will spare you." With that, Artanis left a wide-eyed Seilah alone. Before she could recover, he was already warped back into the Spear of Adun. She stayed like that for a few minutes before she scowled. How could she forget about his mind-reading capability? No matter, she had what she needed from him. She then went out the window and flew back to her guild. As she was flying, she couldn't help but think on Artanis's words. Leaving her guild? Her guildmates killing her, even if she succeeded? Preposterous. Mard Geer was not one to sacrifice good soldiers. He knew about her powers, and knew how valuable they were. Even if they wanted her dead, Kyôka wouldn't allow it. They were…close. After a few hours of flying, she eventually found Cube, the floating fortress where the Tartaros guild made their home.

Once she landed, she immediately walked to where Mard Geer's quarters where. She knocked on the door, and soon, it opened to reveal Mard Geer. A grin made it's way to his face when he saw Seilah.

"I take it your mission was a success?" Asked Mard Geer. Seeing Seilah nod, brought a smile to his face. He then motioned her to come in. After making herself comfortable, Seilah began to tell Mard Geer everything about Artanis told her. The important stuff anyway. After she finished, Mard Geer got up and examined the book of E.N.D., the book that contained their true guild master. After a few minutes of waiting, Seilah began to worry that the information she provided wasn't enough. Or that perhaps, Artanis lied to her. She was about to say something when Mard Geer spoke.

"That is all very fascinating, Seilah." Said Mard Geer as he finished examining the book of E.N.D. "These Protoss are more fascinating then I thought. You should be congratulated for getting this." Seilah smiled as Mard Geer made his way to her. He was halfway to her when he suddenly thrust him arm forward and a vine came out of nowhere and impaled Seilah in the chest. She coughed out blood before looking at Mard Geer in both shock and betrayal. "And executed for getting this information from the Protoss leader himself." Said Mard Geer with a frown on his face. Seilah's eyes widened when Mard Geer said this, who smiled at seeing her widened eyes. "How do I know this? It's simple. I tasked one of our stealthier members in observing your every movement since you left for that facility. It saw you fail keeping your men alive, having your life saved by that Artanis, twice I might add, and it saw you get the information you gave me from him. I knew there was chance you'll fail, but I never expected you to do it like this." With that Mard Geer summoned five more vines, four impaling Seilah's limps each while the last impaled her in the stomach. Seilah was now covered in her blood as she fell to the ground, which was now covered in her blood. She was barely breathing when Mard Geer made his next announcement.

"Normally, I would execute you in front of the rest of the nine demon gates of Tartaros, but because of your relations with Kyôka, I can't do that without risking her loyalty. So, I decided to have you tortured for several months before having you exiled. I think that's an appropriate punishment." Said Mard Geer before signaling two hidden guards to take Seilah to the torture chambers. "And before you ask or wonder, I'll inform Kyôka that you betrayed us by giving crucial information about our operations to the Protoss. I can imagine the betrayed look on her face when I provide the proof of that. It'll be fake sure, but with magic, anything is possible." Seilah only managed to make a grunt, too weak to talk, before being dragged out by the guards. As this was happening, Seilah thought back on Artanis's words and how she should have listened to him.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **Justiceseeker85: Yes. Seilah will come back later and Artanis will probably be her shinning knight in armor.**

* * *

 **Spear of Adun**

 **Artanis's private quarters**

* * *

Artanis sighed to himself as he went into thought about recent events. He had just come back from his search on the hidden Terran facility and what he discovered there concerned him. If the Amon's forces have truly discovered a way to hypnotize people with sufficient Ethernano in their bodies and it's been awhile since they discovered that, then there could be sleeper agents all over the land of Fiore. Heck, they could have even hypnotized the king of Fiore himself, and the guild masters of the wizard guilds. If that was the case, then Artanis has to be careful on what he talks about with the guild masters or the king and his daughter. Anything he says could be used against him and his people. He already assigned Karax the task of finding a way to detect if someone was brain-wash and how to cure it, but without knowing how they did so, the chances of success for both cases were slim. So, Artanis will just have to be careful on what to talk about with any Terran and who can visit the Daelaam base. He will have to be discreet about it though. If he suddenly denied people entry to the base, suspicion of his people will rise immensely. He need to also figure out who to trust with this information. As he was in thought of who to trust or not, a transmission came from the surface of Earthland. He put it on screen and he saw the face of a zealot.

"What is it?" Asked Artanis.

"Forgive me, hierarch, but the Mermaid heel wizard, known as Kagura, has asked for your presence." Said the Zealot. Artanis was surprised to hear this. It has been a while since he had last heard or heard from her. The last time he had seen her it was back when he comforted her after Millianna's death.

"I wonder what she wants?" Thought Artanis. Deciding to indulge her, he asked the Zealot for where she would like to meet.

"She asked you to meet at her guild's guild hall. Said the Zealot. Artanis has heard of the restaurant. It was owned by a former Magic council member named Yajima. Hoping that the former council member was like the others, Artanis walked out of the room to an area where he can warp to Mermaid Heel's guild hall.

* * *

 **Mermaid Hell guild hall**

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

Meanwhile inside the guild hall, Kagura, in her usual outfit, was patiently waiting for Artanis to arrive. As she was waiting, Kagura wondered when Artanis will show up. It's been sometime since they last meet. Since then, she's been getting some help at dealing with Millianna's death. Everyone in Mermaid Heel was shocked and horrified of it. She was such a wonderful person and made many friends with those in the guild. Upon hearing her death, the guild master gave everyone a day off to mourn Millianna in whatever way they saw fit. She also made a private, guild-only funeral for her since Erza was unable to join and they couldn't contact any of Millianna's other friends. The help she received from her friends, really helped and she had since accepted it. It still hurts from time to time, but she had accepted her friend's death and decided to honor her memory by protecting the innocent. When she smiled upon recalling a memory she and Millianna had together, Artanis showed up and made his way to her. He rose an eyebrow at her smile, but choose not to comment. He then sat down and looked at Kagura, who looked at him with her usual stoic face when she noticed him. The two-stayed silent for a moment as they stared at each other before Artanis spoke.

"What is it that you wished to talk to be about, Kagura?" Asked Artanis, getting right down to business. He assumed that she wanted to talk to him about something.

"It's nothing much." Said Kagura, motioning him to follow her to a table in the guild's mess hall. Upon siting, spoke again. "Your people have been getting comfortable in Fiore?"

"It's not Aiur, I can assure you, but we've done the best we can." Said Artanis. Kagura gave a nod of confirmation before speaking again.

"So, how have you been?" Asked Kagura. Artanis blinked at the question, but complied.

"I've been well." Said Artanis. He then looked around to see the other members of Mermaid Heel with various looks of awe, curiosity, suspicion, or contempt. "I take it your guild mates have mixed feelings about my kind."

Kagura simply grunted in confirmation. Upon hearing about the alien race, her guild responded with mixed opinions. Some wanted to be friends with them. Some wanted them gone. Others were keeping their opinions about the aliens to themselves until there was more information about them. To be honest, she understood both spectrums of the argument. The Protoss were an unknown variable and people were naturally suspicious of anything that they don't know or understand. She herself was initially a little suspicious of Artanis and his people's intentions, and she still is, but she is willing to work with them so long as they don't do anything fishy or antagonistic to the people of Fiore.

"You get used to it." Said Kagura, causing Artanis to look at her.

"You sound as if you experienced it yourself." Said Artanis.

"I have." Confirmed Kagura. "When I initially joined Mermaid Heel, people were doubtful of my skills and magic power. I had to do so many jobs just to gain their just, but it was worth it in the end." Artanis just gave a look of understanding.

"Is that it?" Asked Artanis. "You just wanted to talk with me? If you wanted that, then all you had to do was just use the communicator I gave you some time ago. That is if you still have it." Kagura did in fact have the communications device Artanis gave her. Unfortunately, there had been a slight problem in it.

"Well, about that." Started Kagura. Artanis rose an eyebrow, surprised that Kagura looked embarrassed and was shifting in her seat. His eyes then widen in surprise when she brought out the broken remains of the device he gave her. It was fully intact, sure, but it was now unusable. "While I was out training, I accidentally hit it and broke it." She was sporting a small blush. "Forgive me for breaking it. I didn't mean to make such an amateur mistake."

"It's alright, Kagura." Said Artanis, taking the broken device from Kagura so Karax can fix it. "If you want, I can get a replacement sent to you. In fact, I was planning to give each official guild as well as the royal family a communications device so they don't need to constantly send in messengers or themselves in order to speak with me." Artanis felt that this would be beneficial in saving time for both parties. He was also willing to send in some of his engineers to help teach people how to use it.

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Said Kagura. "I'll pass the word to my guild master to save you the trouble."

"That will be appreciated. Is there anything else?" Asked Artanis.

"Actually, yes." Said Kagura before shifting uncomfortably. "I was wondering if you wanted to go and partake in a mission with me." Artanis blinked at this, processing this information. Kagura wanted him to partake in a mission with her? When he was younger, he would have most certainly said yes, but now, with his many responsibilities as a hierarch and despite his duties being more limited now more than ever, he wasn't sure if he could spare the time to work with Kagura. He decided to delve deeper in the matter, though.

"What's the mission?" Asked Artanis. Hearing the question, Kagura composed herself and looked at Artanis with her usual stoic face.

"A simple recover mission. My client had something dear to them stolen recently and they wanted to a wizard to bring it back." Explained Kagura. "I thought that, since I was curious about your fighting style and yourself, this could be an opportunity to fight alongside you. I learned that nothing can make people understand each other more than fighting side by side on a battlefield. Plus, I heard that your free from your usual duties with the royal family so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity." Artanis went into thought. She was right. His duties with the royal family were gone as of now because there was nothing that required them to speak with him. In his younger years, he would have accepted her offer to join her on a mission, if only to do something other than talking and keeping people from killing each other. But now, he has matured from such behavior and knew that if he was gone, even for a little while, it could cause disastrous consequences. Not only that, but he needed to figure out if any one he knew was mind controlled by Amon's forces. Still, it won't hurt to get out every once and awhile.

" ***hums in thought*** How long would this take?" Asked Artanis. If it won't take much time, then he'll partake in this job with Kagura.

"It won't take much time. It's a simple retrieval mission." Said Kagura. "In fact, I'm surprised in the amount the client is offering for the job."

"How much is the reward?' Asked Artanis, curious on how much the client was offering for the job.

"As much as five hundred thousand jewels." Said Kagura. Artanis's eyes widened at that. He knew the monetary value of jewels from Hisui, but to hear such a considerable amount being offered for one item, was a shock to him.

"Must be something of great value to the client." Said Artanis with Kagura nodding in agreement. "Well, so long as it'll be quick, I suppose I'll go with you." Kagura let out a small smile at this before getting up and motioning Artanis to follow her to the train station. After getting on the train, the two sat in silence as the train moved. Artanis, wanting to know how Kagura is doing, struck a conversation.

"How are you doing as of late, Kagura?" Asked Artanis as he sat in front of her. Kagura, upon hearing the question, turned her view from the scenery outside to Artanis.

"I'm doing fine, Artanis. I'm been training hard to become better than I used to be. So, have the others in Mermaid Heel." Said Kagura.

"In honor of your fallen friend." Said Artanis. Kagura simply nodded with a saddened expression. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright, Artanis. I've gotten over it. It took a while, but I've moved on. Millianna's death inspired me to train more, so that others won't suffer the same fate as her." Said Kagura. Artanis nodded in understanding. The deaths of his friends have also inspired him to keep fighting for his people, so that they're sacrifices will not be for nothing. After a half an hour passed, gotten bored of seeing that same things over and over again, Kagura began to look at Artanis again, eyeing him up. He was looking at the window, observing the scenery before him, so he couldn't know she was looking at him. As she was watching him, she couldn't help, but think on how much his people have in common with hers. They may be different species, but he was still a living, breathing, thinking individual. To be honest, it sickened her that some people, including some of her guildmates, think that the Protoss were monsters or lesser beings. She then shook her head, not wanting to worry Artanis as she heard that Protoss can detect sudden changes in one's mental stability. She then went to look back at Artanis. While looking at him, she couldn't help but see a lot of herself in him. The calm and composed aura that he had on him most of the time. Stoic facial expressions. And he wasn't overconfident in his abilities. It was a stark contrast to Alarak, who carried himself with such arrogance she never thought was possible for someone to do. She then noticed how beautiful his eyes were. How they glowed brightly like a sun whenever he was taken in with emotions. How they would die down when he was saddened over something. She then noticed how smooth looking his skin was and how they would also change color when he experienced emotions. She then looked armored-clad body. Even with the armor obscuring it, she could tell that he had a well-muscled body underneath. A testament to the strength needed to defeat a dragon and to defeat so many of those Zerg with ease.

" **Getting soft on the alien, huh Kagura?"** The voice of her friend and guildmate, Risley Law, came into her thoughts when she was looking at Artanis's body. She then scowled at remembering what she said when she and her other guildmates saw her and Artanis together alone in a tent back during the dragon invasion. And in an intimate pose, she might add. The teasing only ended a week ago and even then, she still hears snippets about her and Artanis. She wasn't going soft on him. She just admired Artanis for his leadership and how similar he was to her…right? Artanis then, having enough of the scenery before him, looked back at Kagura. He then rose an eyebrow at seeing her looking at his body.

"If I may ask, why are you staring at my abdomen, Kagura?" Asked Artanis. Upon being caught, Kagura widen her eyes and looked away from Artanis, but not enough for Artanis to not notice the small blush on her face. He then blinked slowly, his mind trying to comprehend exactly what had just happened. He had caught her staring at him and she then blushed upon being caught. Her? Blushing? He had heard about this from Raynor. It's what Terrans would do when they were embarrassed or experiencing other strong emotions, like love. In fact, he remembered him saying something about blushing.

" _If you see a girl blush Artanis, chances are that she's embarrassed over something or loves someone."_ That was what Raynor had said while the two had short moment of respite from all the carnage that was before them during the Brood War. He never did understand why Raynor told him that. Perhaps to keep their minds away from the carnage that was coming for them.

" **If what he says is true, then Kagura is either embarrassed at being caught staring at me or she loves me."** Thought Artanis as he looked at the blushing Kagura, who was looking uncomfortable at Artanis staring at her. Deciding to ask her, he spoke.

"Do you love me, Kagura?" Asked Artanis. Her reaction was interesting to watch as she instantly went beet red and began to stutter.

"N-no, I do not, Artanis! I was just admiring how similar your body is to a human's." Said Kagura. Seeing her deny, made Artanis chuckle in amusement. He also heard from Raynor that Terrans also do this as well.

"Then why are you stuttering?" Asked Artanis in rare show of teasing. If it was possible, Kagura was blushing even more. Fortunately for her, Artanis looked away to view the scenery before him, giving Kagura the chance to slip away and use the restroom. Artanis, meanwhile, was enjoying the scenery of trees and mountains that passed by as quickly as they came. Soon he saw a large and beautiful lake while the train passed by it. Beyond the lake was a town with a large hill overlooking it. He could see a mansion on top of the hill. That's probably where he and Kagura were heading. The train continued to travel to the town until it arrived. Once it stopped, Artanis stepped out. Kagura soon stepped out as well, fully composed again. With her in tow, the two walked out of the station. As they were walking through the streets, Artanis took the time to admire the town for how it looked. There were plenty stores around and an open market where there were several merchants selling fish that were caught in the lake. He even saw some children play around with their parents watching over them. Seeing this made Artanis swell up in happiness. It had been so long since he had saw something like that. He's always been busy with reports and meetings with the Twilight Council to ever have time for strolls and the like in civilian sectors of Shakuras. Even after reclaiming Aiur, he still was too busy for such things. When he did have the time, it was usually to practice his skills with a Psi-blade, think of what to say in another meeting, or to mediate. Despite seeing such a happy sight, it also made him feel a little lonely. He never managed to find a someone during his younger years that will be there to comfort him when he needed it and to start a family with. He sighed in sadness. Perhaps he was destined to die alone. Seeing this, Kagura called him out.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Kagura, concerned for her friend.

" ***Sighs*** I'm just thinking of things that I probably never will have, Kagura." Said Artanis, looking at the children again, catching Kagura's eye.

"A family?" Asked Kagura. Artanis nodded sadly. "You don't have anyone back home?"

"No. Just friends and acquaintances." Said Artanis. "My parents were killed some time ago and I don't have any siblings that I know of. It's just me. My friends help out from time to time, but still, it's lonely not having that special person be there to help when no one else can." Kagura looked at Artanis with sadness at hearing this. She herself understood what he was saying. All she ever had was her brother, Simon. Now, with him gone, she had no one else to comfort her, to tell her that everything was alright. Sure, she had Erza, and her friends from Mermaid Heel, but she knew that even they can never be enough to comfort her when she was at her worst. Without much thought, Kagura held Artanis's hand, causing him to look at her in surprise.

"I know what it's like," Started Kagura, looking at Artanis in the eyes. "To feel like that you'll always be lonely, even when you have good friends helping you all the way through. But, no matter how hard it gets, there's always someone there to help you. You just need to let them in." Artanis, taking this in, looked at the hand that Kagura was holding before squeezing it lightly.

"Thank you." Said Artanis before letting go. "I needed that. Perhaps after this, we can go and purchase some gifts for your friends." Kagura let out a small smile before nodding her head. The two then resumed their walk to their client's location. The trek wasn't too troubling for them and they enjoyed the walk up to the mansion. They arrived at said building and walked up to the front door. Kagura knocked several times on the door and waited for an response. It didn't take long for the door to open and revealed a maid who saw the two.

"Yes? May I help you?" Asked the maid. Upon seeing Artanis, she looked at him with a little fear, but also awe. Seeing this, Kagura told her that he was a good person, calming her down slightly. Kagura then pulled out the flyer that had the job. "My name is Kagura from Mermaid Heel. I'm here for the job listed."

The maid opened all the way and seemed generally surprised. "Oh, I forgot about that, please come in. The master is upstairs in the room two doors to your left." The maid then stepped out of the way and gestured the wizard and hierarch to come inside. The two kindly accepted the invitation and entered the mansion. They followed the instructions the maid had told them and walked to the door where the master was. They were now in front of the door and knocked on that one. There were a few moments of silence before the door opened to reveal a man in his late forties with blonde hair that was beginning to gray wearing a burgundy suit and tie. The two figured he was the master of the estate. The man looked a bit surprised at seeing Artanis, but when he saw Kagura, he calmed down.

"Hello. We're here for the job that you posted." Said Kagura, holding out the flyer. Seeing the flyer, the man motioned for the two to enter the room. They did and sat on the expensive couch that allowed them to look at the man as he sat in a chair in front of them. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"I'll keep this brief." Said the man. "I am Nathan Fill and I want you two to retrieve something of mine."

"What is it?" Asked Artanis. Nathan looked a bit uncomfortable to say it, but complied.

"Something very important to me left behind by my late wife. It means the world to me as it's the only thing I have left of her. However, it was stolen by a bunch of thugs who are demanding a ransom." Explained Nathan. While it was terrible, there was something about the story their client was telling, that Artanis couldn't help, but wonder.

"How did they steal it in the first place?" Asked Artanis. Their client then looked away while feeling very embarrassed.

"I…may have looked away for a second or two outside in my backyard. When I turned back, it was gone and was left was a note demanding the ransom." Said the man, blushing a bit. Kagura could almost facepalm at the reason and Artanis could imagine Alarak saying something very insulting to the man for such a blunder. Nathan looked back at them. "The ransom does have a deadline and it is tomorrow. I want the two of you to take out those thugs and bring back my prized possession."

It was an easy enough job to Kagura but she knew there was something else. "Do you have something more tell us or is that it?" Asked Kagura. Hearing this, Nathan sighed and looked down.

"There is. I have heard they've hire a couple of mercenaries in case I tried something like this, but I have no other choice." Explained Nathan. That was all they needed to know.

"If that's all then we'll get it back to you. A couple of mercenaries will be no trouble at all." Said Kagura, standing up with Artanis. Their client was all too glad to hear that.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" Said Nathan.

"So where are these perpetrators? Do you know?" Asked Artanis. Nathan nodded quickly at the question.

"I do. They're not too far off from behind the hill in the forest. Just follow the markings they had left on the trees and that'll lead to their camp." Said Nathan.

And with that, the two heard everything they needed to hear. Artanis gave Nathan a promise.

"Leave this to us, sir. I promise that we'll bring it back unharmed and in one piece." Said Artanis, placing a hand on his armored chest.

As if Nathan couldn't feel any happier about the reassurance of the words, even if it was coming from an alien. "Thank you…so much." Said Nathan.

* * *

 **Later**

 **In the forest**

* * *

"Is that them?" Asked Kagura as Artanis uncloaked in front of her. During their search for the perpetrators, they spotted a camp in a clearing. Assuming they were the group they were looking for, Artanis cloaked and ordered Kagura to hide.

"They are." Said Artanis, as he uncloaked. "I heard a few commenting on the item they stole from your client. If that wasn't enough proof, some have even commented on how easy it was to steal it from him."

"Good." Said Kagura, walking out of her hiding spot. "Then this will be easier than I thought." She then walked out to the clearing, where the group of thieves noticed her. Seeing this, Artanis sighed and went along with her.

"Who the hell are you, girl? The shopping district is the other way." Asked a big, burly man with a scar over his right eye. Kagura narrowed her eyes at the man.

 **"He must be the leader."** Thought Kagura as she got ready for a fight. "We're here on behalf of Nathan Fill, our client to take back what you stole from him. Do that and this'll end without any incident."

The leader just cackled at her words. "I knew that guy would call out to a bunch of wizards. Not just wizards, but a girl and her alien dog. One not too bad looking and a freak. What is he? Your boyfriend or mascot?" Asked the leader, mocking them. That comment did actually get to them, but they didn't show anything. "No matter. I figured he would do this, which is why I hired these guys. Come on out!" He snapped his fingers and two figures jumped out from behind and landed in front of him. "These two are known for taking out wizards like you. That's why they're perfect in this situation. Introduce yourselves, boys!"

One the mercenaries stood in front of the other and held up one hand sideways as some sort of greeting. "Gladly. We are known as the Vanish Brothers from the Silver Wolves Mercenary guild." Said the man.

"I've heard of you two before." Said Kagura, hand on her sword handle in case a fight broke out.

"Who are they?" Asked Artanis as he also got ready for a fight.

"They're mercenaries from a guild that sells its services to anyone that's willing to pay. Their guild is known for having members that are well-adapted to fighting mages." Explained Kagura. "And these two are some of their best."

"And we've more than earned that." Said the oldest, getting ready for a fight.

"We'll make this quick." Said Kagura, holding up Archenemy to them. The older Vanish Brother stared back at her.

"My thoughts exactly." Said the older brother before he launched himself right at Kagura and swung his giant frying pan, something that Artanis found extremely odd, at Kagura. Kagura acted quickly and blocked the attacked with Archenemy with a resounding boom with the two weapons clashing against each other. Artanis braced himself as the resulting shockwave hit him, draglines were made as his feet were forced back from the force. Artanis then sensed danger approaching, so he blinked out of the way just as the younger brother attacked the spot where he used to be, creating a small crater.

"Impressive." Said the younger brother as Artanis blinked in front of him. "I never thought you would have such fast reactions times."

"Do not underestimate my kind, mercenary." Said Artanis as he ignited his psi-blades. "I will ask you once, return what you stole, or face the consequences."

"Sorry, but by the honor of my guild, I will fight until I can no longer continue." Said the younger brother as he charged. Artanis gave a grunt of respect before blinking out of the way and slamming his foot into the younger brother's head, knocking him out.

"You have my respect for trying to honor your duty, but I don't have the time to indulge you for a fight." Said Artanis as the younger brother's eyes turned to X's.

"Brother!" Yelled the older one as he saw his younger brother being take out so easily by the hierarch. This left him unfocused and easy prey for Kagura, who kneed him in the gut before slamming her sword's hilt on his head, knocking him out as well.

"That was embarrassingly easy." Said Artanis as he walked to Kagura.

"I have to agree." Said Kagura. The two then turned to the group of thieves, who were having a hard time believing the mercenaries they've hired were defeated. Kagura took one step toward them and they took a step back in fear. "Now…about that possession." They really didn't have a choice in the matter. The leader looked back at one of the tents.

"Give back the damn thing to them!" Yelled the man.

Kagura and Artanis were finally able to see what this prized possession their client loved so much looked like. Their answer was in the form a yelp and saw something run in between the thug's legs. Artanis's eyes widened at what it was. It was a small white dog with very fluffy fur.

"A dog?" Said Artanis as Kagura picked up the small puppy. It soon began to lick her. Kagura let out a small smile as it did so. A puppy wasn't quite what Kagura was expecting but she wasn't complaining. The puppy was very adorable. She then leered her eyes at the thugs. "If you ever do something like this again, I can assure that all of you will not come out unscathed the second time we meet. Remember that." All of them were deathly afraid her and they swiftly complied. With that, Kagura turned away from them. "Let's return back to the client." Artanis nodded before following Kagura, who was currently petting the puppy. Seeing this made Artanis chuckle, it was nice seeing Kagura let loose every once in a while.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

Nathan was beyond happy that his prized possession and the puppy was the same as it kept licking him back in the study at the mansion. "Thank you so much for retrieving her. I'm almost saddened that I have to give each of your half of the promised reward money." Said Nathan as he gave a large amount of cash to Kagura.

"It's alright, sir. Kagura will receive it all." Said Artanis. "I merely came along as a request from Kagura."

"But still, it would be dreadful of me not to give you anything in return for doing this." Said Nathan as he looked at the puppy. "This puppy is all I have left of my wife."

"You have no children?" Asked Artanis. Nathan sighed before looking at them with teary eyes.

"No. I'm infertile so I can never have any children, but my wife didn't mind and married me without protest." Explained Nathan, gaining some looks of sympathy from Artanis and Kagura. "We've been married for twenty-five years now and she got this dog as an upcoming anniversary gift for me. Unfortunately, she died just before our anniversary. Fortunately, our maids had it in their possession in case something happened to her as, you see, she was suffering from an incurable disease. They gave it to me after the funeral and I've been treating this dog as if it was my own ever since." Artanis eyes dimmed at that before giving his condolences to Nathan. "No need, sir." Said Nathan. "I'm just glad that you managed to bring her back to me." Said Nathan as the dog licked him again, making him smile. He then turned to the two. "How about I let you two stay here for the night. There's a festival tonight and all the hotels are full."

"Oh, I cannot do that, sir." Said Artanis. "I have to go back to my people as soon as possible. However, I am grateful for the offer." Nathan looked surprised at the turning down at the offer, but nodded his head.

"Very well, then I still owe you one, sir." Said Nathan as Artanis got up. "Before you go, I would like to apologize for my reaction to you," Artanis stopped and looked at Nathan. "It's just that I'm a little suspicious of your kind ever since you showed up. I mean, you show up out of nowhere and suddenly, the king accepts your kind, allows you to establish bases, and the like. It's a little suspicious. But now I see that, your kind can be trusted. So, please forgive my earlier suspicion."

"Do not be sorry, Nathan." Said Artanis. "I myself would be as well. Not everything is as it seems to be and there will always be those that give a species a bad name. I have seen and experienced it." With that Artanis left, leaving the occupants alone to their thoughts. Nathan then turned to Kagura, who looked at the door Artanis used to leave.

"Your friend is very wise." Said Nathan, causing Kagura to turn to him. "He is correct. I myself, had seen people that made me questions humanity. But then, I remind myself of that there are also good people as well. And that it's always those people that are worth fighting for. Am I right, wizard?"

'You're correct, sir." Said Kagura before getting up. "I hope you a long life and for a good day." Nathan just chuckled, good naturedly, before waving her good-bye and telling her to tell Artanis as well. She soon caught up to Artanis, waiting for her outside the mansion. With that, the two walked to the train station, but not before buying some gifts for Kagura's guildmates. They soon got on a train and were off to the Mermaid Heel guildhall. As they were waiting, Kagura spoke.

"You said that you experienced people that made you question humans, right?" Asked Kagura, causing Artanis to look at her.

"Yes, as well as my own kind." Said Artanis. Seeing Kagura look at him, he began to tell a story. "Some time ago, back when my people were living in the Dark Templar home, a Nerazim, the true name of the Dark Templar, by the name of Taelus, conspired to ignite a civil war between my people and the Dark Templar," Kagura widened her eyes, but listened intently. "He was a student of one of my closest advisors and friends, Vorazun. He looked up to her and believed in the cause she would often speak publicly about, that my people were slowly eroding the Dark Templar's culture, and had no respect for their traditions. Unfortunately, he also held an ideal that actions were far more important than words, which made him devise a plan to take action against my people." Artanis sighed before continuing. "He and four other Dark Templar then took control of the Daelaam Citadel, which our council convenes in. Their plan was to force my people to fight and kill them, and in doing so provoke violence between the two races. The hope was that the resulting violence would inspire the Nerazim to throw my people off from their lands and allow them to live as they had lived without losing their culture to my people." He then looked to see Kagura was listening with a look of disgust. She was obviously disgusted with Taelus's actions.

"And did he succeed?" asked Kagura, anger evident in her voice.

"No, thankfully. Vorazun and a friend of mine, Mohandar, stopped him and his insurgents before anything disastrous can happen. Unfortunately, Mohandar died during the skirmish and so did Taelus." Said Artanis, remembering the story Vorazun told him on what happened. "Because Mohandar was a Dark Templar, and was killed by his own kind, no civil war happened between the Nerazim and my people." With that Artanis, looked at Kagura, who looked at him with saddened eyes.

"I'm sorry about your friend." Said Kagura. "Was he given a proper burial?"

"Yes, and so did Taelus." Said Artanis. Seeing the disbelief in Kagura's eyes, he explained. "If we didn't do so, Nerazim like Taelus would have used it as a rally cry for more supporters. Plus, he was just doing it because he thought it was for the betterment of his kind." Kagura, however, didn't see it as such.

"That doesn't justify his actions or your friend's death." Argued Kagura.

"No, it doesn't." Admitted Artanis. "But unfortunately, people don't see it that way and we have to do the options where the majority are happy with. I wasn't too pleased as well when Taelus was given a burial, but if it was to appease the Nerazim, then I'll gladly allow it again. Please, Kagura, I know you don't agree with it, but it's in the past now, so please, don't make a fuss over it." Kagura looked annoyed, but said no more of the conversation. Soon, the train arrived in the town that Mermaid Heel. As they were walking, Artanis stopped and went inside a store. Kagura rose an eyebrow at this sudden stop. She waited for a few minutes until Artanis came out with a gift in his hands. He then handed them to Kagura.

"Since you let me tag along in your quest, I believed that I should repay you with something. I hope that it is satisfactory." Said Artanis as he handed the gift to Kagura. "You can open it now if you like." Curious, Kagura opened the gift and gasped. It was a white scarf with intricate designs of a rabbit and had golden laces at the end.

"This looks expensive, how did you afford it?" Asked Kagura. Artanis simply chuckled.

"I have went on some jobs with Fairy Tail and they let me have some of the reward money as thanks. I tried to deny them, but they wouldn't take no for an answer." Explained Artanis. Seeing her still in awe and that it was beginning to get cold, Artanis helped tie the scarf around her neck. "I take it this is satisfactory?" Kagura simply blushed before nodding her head. "Then I will leave you alone. I'll inform you when the device is ready for you." With that Artanis left the Mermaid Heel Ace along. As she watched him leave, she looked at the scarf he bought her. She let out a small smile before walking to her guild hall.

* * *

 **Several days later**

 **Mermaid Heel Guildhall**

* * *

Kagura was sitting at a table back at Mermaid Heel enjoying an iced lemonade. Her thoughts trailed to back to a certain Protoss.

"I wonder what Artanis is doing right now. Probably, dealing with the Royal Family, Magic Council, or other issues his people have." Thought Kagura as she thought of the hierarch. After she arrived back to the guild with the scarf Artanis bought her, she's been receiving nonstop teasing from her guildmates, who were happy that Kagura had a boy in her life, even if he was an alien. Her thought were suddenly interrupted when Risley slammed the doors of the guild hall open and ran up to Kagura, eyes full of confusion and worry.

"Kagura!" Yelled Risley as she went up to Kagura's table and grabbed her arms, shaking her as well. "It's terrible. They…" Risley couldn't say more when Kagura shook of Millianna's grip on her and forced her to calm down.

"What is it, Risley?" Asked Kagura, concerned with what she had to say. She took a deep breath before looking at Kagura with worry. The thing she said after made Kagura's blood run cold.

"The Magic Council used Etherion on the Daelaam base." Said Risley, bracing herself for Kagura's inevitable outburst. To her surprise, Kagura simply stayed silent, mouth agape and eyes as wide as dinner plates. Carefully, Risley got out of her friend's grip and back away, waiting for her next reaction. To everyone's shock, Kagura used her sword and sliced her table in two.

"What!?" Demanded Kagura, looking at Risley. "Why would the Council do such a thing!?"

"I don't know, Kagura." Said Risley. "They just went and did it."

"How do you know this?" Asked Kagura, making Risley flinch at her intense glare.

"There's a council servant in town. He informed me to tell the guild about…" Risley couldn't say more because Kagura was already sprinting out of the guild hall. As she was sprinting, Kagura felt a fire that she hadn't felt in a while. The fire of revenge.


End file.
